National Youth Festival ends with spectacular show

BHUBANESWAR - Sky divers of the Indian Air Force (IAF) parachuted into the middle of the Kalinga Stadium here while a ceremonial band of the Indian Navy performed ‘Beating the Retreat’ - the five-day National Youth Festival concluded here with a spectacular show Tuesday.

The spell-binding aerobatic show by the IAF personnel was viewed by a crowd of over 50,000 people in the stadium. The audience was thrilled when the sky divers drifted down from a height of thousands of feet to land in the middle of the stadium.

People were seen dancing in their seats and tapping their feet when the Indian Navy band staged ‘Beating the Retreat’. Other song and dance items were also presented.

Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Pratik Prakashbapu Patil, who addressed the audience, urged the youth to take the message of national unity from the festival to all corners of the country.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik distributed prizes to the winners of the various competitions held during the past five days and said the festival demonstrated India’s unity in diversity.

At least 4,000 youths from all over the country competed in about 17 categories of cultural competitions in classical, semi-classical and folk arts during the festival that began Friday.

The festival is organised every year in January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda Jan 12.

The 15th edition of the festival in Orissa was organised by the state government in collaboration with the youth affairs and sports department of the central government.

Huge crowds were also seen at YuvaKriti, an exhibition the government had organised at the city’s exhibition ground to showcase and sell food items, handicrafts and handlooms from different states during the festival.