The month long “Shirin-Saaz Te Awaaz” – a Kashmiri Group Singing Competition organized by the Delhi Public School (DPS) and D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust concluded here last evening.The grand finale of this mega cultural event, held at the DPS Athwazan, Srinagar, ten teams from different schools of Kashmir Valley presented mesmerizing performances which kept the 6-7000 audience spellbound.N.N. Vohra and First Lady Mrs. Usha Vohra were guests of honor and Mr. Haseeb Drabu, Minister for Finance and Culture was a distinguished guest.Lauding the efforts of the DPS management for promoting the local culture, the Governor said that events of this scale would provide a most welcome opportunity to the young boys and girls of the Valley to display their high potential in the arena of music and arts and also give them the confidence to perform in public programmes, adding to their personality development. He said that such events being organized by other educational institutions would go a long way in boosting the future of our children and showcasing their skills in extra-curricular activities.
The Governor complimented Mr. Vijay Dhar, Chairman DPS and D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust, for his initiative to organize such a wonderful programme, involving the children of over 200 schools, which is first of its kind in the Valley and provided an excellent opportunity to hundreds of school children to exhibit their talents. He said he has not seen such a wonderful event in the State earlier where young students, particularly the girls, performed with so much talent and enthusiasm.The creative concept of the stage and for encouraging the development of the intrinsic potential of the children the Governor announced a contribution of rupees one and a half lakh.The Governor urged Mr. Drabu to consider providing suitable support for budding artists being provided appropriate opportunities for developing their talents. In this context he suggested that perhaps the J&K Tableau at the next Republic Day parade could be a presentation of our talented youth. He also urged the media to allocate special space for reflecting the achievements and encouraging the youth of the State.The First Lady presented awards to the first three winners of the finale, complimented them on their success and wished them a bright future.
Drabu, who gave away the consolation prizes, lauded the initiative of the DPS for organizing such a wonderful event which, he said, will boost the morale of the budding youth. He said that suitable steps would be taken to encourage youth in the cultural arena.
Over 200 schools of the Valley participated in this mega event, out of which ten made to the final. The participants of the final include, DMPS, Pampore, Dream Land Educational Institute, Ganderbal, Govt. Boys High School, Pantha Chowk, Srinagar, Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School, Rajbagh, Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School Bandipora, Govt. High School Shadipora, Dr. AGM’s City School Nowgam, Srinagar, DPS, Budgam and Govt. Boys High School, Sadhoonara.Govt. Boys High School, Sadhoonara was adjudged the best performer and awarded with trophy and first prize of Rs. 1 lakh, Govt. High School Shadipora won the second prize of Rs. 75,000/- and New Dream Land Educational Institute, Ganderbal stood third and won Rs. 50,000/-. Besides, consolation prizes of Rs. 50,000 were also distributed among the participants. The award money was sponsored by the Old World Culture of Delhi, Taxala Hospitalities, J&K, D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust, Ms. Kiran Dhar and State Education Ministry.