GRACEFUL MOVEMENTS: A youth performing a dance at the competitions held as part of the State-level Youth Festival in Tirupati on Wednesday.

TIRUPATI: The State Youth Festival 2005 began on a grand note on Sri Venkateswara University campus on Wednesday.

The Department of Youth Affairs divided the State-level programme event-wise and was holding seven of the 18 events in Tirupati while the rest were being conducted in Vizianagaram and Warangal.

At the inaugural function organised at SVU Srinivasa auditorium, Commissioner of Youth Affairs G.N. Rao spoke of the immense potential available in the form of trained young hands. The collective power of youth, if properly utilised, would help the country surge ahead in a big way.

Explaining the reason behind the path-breaking decision to look beyond the capital and plump for venues in the three different regions of the State, he said it was to usher in cross-cultural exchange and provide an exposure on the diverse traditions of a region to the youths participating from the other parts of the State. Mr. Rao felt that the love and respect the Non-Resident Telugus had for their culture, going by the interest evinced to get their wards trained in classical dance forms and getting temples built in their residential areas, could become a boon for trained youth. Mr. Rao saw a great opportunity for classical music/dance teachers, priests and Vedic scholars abroad.

LIDCAP programme

District Collector Shamsher Singh Rawat said that the Leather Industries Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (LIDCAP) had agreed to fund a programme on manufacture of leather products with an outlay of Rs. 25 lakhs per district. He announced that a permanent building and training infrastructure would be established either at Chittoor or Madanapalle to train youth preparing to get recruited into the Armed forces. He also threw light on a scheme by Dr. Reddy's Labs to provide employment training for 3,000 youths. Regional Director of Nehru Yuva Kendra K. Balasubramanyam spoke. TTD Executive Officer A.P.V.N. Sarma took part as chief guest. LIDCAP Chairman P. Reddeppa, Regional Director of Women and Child Welfare M.R.V. Santhamma and municipal Chairman K. Sankar Reddy spoke. Local MLA M. Venkataramana presided.

Competitions in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathak, one act play and elocution were conducted.

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