People brave winter chill, enjoy youth fest

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, January 9: January chill and the tiol Youth Festival: Guwahati residents are enjoying a rocking time. The enjoyment has increased further with the coming Bhogali Bihu, the harvest festival of the State.

On Friday, the second day of the Youth Festival, colourful cultural programmes were held in different locations of the city. Venues like Cotton College, B Barooah College, Rabindra Bhavan, Nehru Park, Soram High School and others were chock–a–block with participants and audience.

As part of the festival, youth parliament was held at Don Bosco School here in which Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia took part. While taking part in the programme, Ahluwalia said, “Parliament is not a place to raise allegations and counter–allegations. It’s place to debate over issues affecting the people of the country, budget and laws. But now–a–days, Parliament, it seems, has lost its actual tradition and it’s our duty to restore it.”

One of the participants in the youth parliament said, “Young parliamentarians with their smartness and knowledge can change the country’s political scerio. I feel more and more young people of the country should join politics.”

When asked whether politicians need higher educatiol qualification or not, the participant said, “Good education helps people take right decisions.” But he also clarified that knowledge and education are not the same thing. “A person can be educated but may not be knowledgable.”

Another participant said that he wants to see a corruption free India.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who visited the Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the tiol Youth Festival, told reporters: “Through this festival, Assam’s image has been projected in a right spirit. Participants in the festival also like our food and culture.”

Gogoi further announced that gold medal winner from Assam in the upcoming tiol Games in Kerala would be given Rs 3 lakh, silver medal winner 2 lakh and bronze medal winner Rs 1 lakh.