Students from remote areas shine in GU poetry recitation contest

GUWAHATI: Students from remote corners of the state made a brilliant display of their poetic ambitions in a poem recitation competition that was part of the annual Gauhati University youth festival. With three given topics to choose, they had to express their feelings and views through verses.
Twenty-four students from various colleges affiliated to the prestigious university took part in the competition.Students from remote places like Dhekiajuli, Nalbari, Sonapur, Rangpur, Howli etc displayed their poetic potential, earning the applause of a packed audience at the Faculty House building on the varsity campus.
For the first time, organizers chalked out a concept according to which competitors were given three topics to choose from and were asked to pen their own words, instead of reciting a verse by some noted poet. The designated time allotted to the contestants to compose their work was one hour.
"This year, we are giving the participants a chance to display their poetic skills with the sole objective of giving them a podium to express their inner feelings and also to polish their poetic talent," said R C Rabha, director, students' welfare, Gauhati University.
Students responded with great enthusiasm to the new format of the competition and recited their own compositions on the three allotted topics. The topics - 'heritage', 'globalization' and 'pollution' - are three important issues in the present socio-cultural scenario.
However, some of the participants transgressed to related topics and wrote on issues like modernism, the adversities of modern life, new world utopia, religious diversity and even democracy.
The panel of judges, which comprised professors of the university, included Chandan Kumar Goswami, head of the department of mass communications, Prashanta Kumar Sharma of the commerce department, and M Kamaluddin Ahmed of the Assamese department. The judges based their decision and verdict on the method of recitation, the composed work and the objectives of the compositions.
"Only a few could both write and recite well. While others composed their work properly, recitation was not good and some could recite well but their poems were not good. The objective of the competition was to express oneself through poetry recitation," said Chandan Goswami.
Kushal Kumar Das, a student of Chaygaon College clinched the first prize while Ariful Islam from ULC (university Law College) bagged the second prize. Roopam Goswami, an engineering student from Assam Engineering College, Jalukbari, had to share the third spot with Semim Sultana, a Rangiya College student. Meanwhile Debajyoti Kalita, from Nalbari College and Krishna Khatanair of Nalbari College shared the consolation prize.