National Tribal Festivities Continue Vibrantly in Vijayawada
Day Two sees 22 events as students celebrate culture through dance, music and skits
Vijayawada: The second day of Udbhav 2025, the Sixth National Ekalavya Model Residential Schools cultural extravaganza at the KL University near Vijayawada showcased on Thursday the brilliance of diverse students who have arrived at the city from across the country.
Organised under the aegis of Union Tribal Affairs Ministry, competitions continued from 10 a.m. to 4:30 pm in 22 categories. They included quiz, mimicry, Hindi debate, Sanskrit shlokas, poetry recital, traditional skits, dance and music.
Students from Kashmir to Kanyakumari presented their cultural highlights with striking variety.
On the main Krishna Jinka stage, junior-level skit competitions drew enthusiastic applause, while the Udbhav auditorium hosted senior-level classical dance segments representing different Indian states. Across multiple venues, senior solo and group classical and tribal singing, Sanskrit recitation, English poetry, quiz, spell-bee, and English and Hindi elocution events impressed spectators, participants and organisers. Devotional group singing, instrumental concerts, folk songs, theatre-based storytelling, and classical and semi-classical music added to the cultural spectacle.
Organisers said 18 competitions had been held on Wednesday, 22 have been organised on Thursday and another nine will be conducted on Friday, the final day.
Prizes to performers in all 49 categories will be awarded at the concluding event.
A major highlight turned out to be the skit series on freedom fighters, tribal warriors and social reformers. Andhra Pradesh EMRS team captivated the audience with a stirring retelling of Ekalavya’s dedication and sacrifice in the Mahabharata. Telangana students staged the life of Army jawan Murali Nayak, who died in the Pahalgam attack, earning a standing ovation.
Teams from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu presented compelling narratives on Savitribai Phule, anti-alcohol awareness, Yashwant Singh Parmar, Surendra Saira, the Santhal Rebellion and literary icon Konangi.
AP Gurukula Society secretary Gautami, NESTS deputy secretary Bipin Raturi, ITDA project director Smaran Raj and senior officials supervised the proceedings of the day.