Students pay artistic tributes to Sayajirao

Vadodara: A doctor played the role of Sayajirao Gaekwad III while a lawyer took up the role of Sayajirao's wife - Chimnabai - as a Gujarati play was staged by ten professionals from different backgrounds at the Sayaji Literature Festival. The first-ever literature fest was organised at M S University on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. The festival organised by the students of Faculty of Arts started with a 'prabhat feri' from Faculty of Science. "I am doctor by profession but my inclination lies in performing arts. Playing the role of Sayajirao was a achievement for me," said Poojan Joshi, a doctor by profession who has attained a degree in dramatics from MSU's Faculty of Performing Arts. Joshi was part of the motley group that staged the play "Gujarati Saahitya Nu Khat Muhurat" highlighting the importance of education especially women's education that Baroda state witnessed during the reign of Sayajirao. Three sessions including a deliberation on Sayajrao's contribution to the field of literature, another titled 'Gujarati Saahitya: Book thi Facebook sudhi' and a third one Gujarati Cine Shrushti: Pehlo Divas thi Chello Divas' were also held as part of the fest. There were three parallel sessions and competition for students of all languages in categories of short story, poetry and essay. After talk by the experts, workshops were conducted for better understanding of the participants and interactive sessions were also organized for clarifying doubts after which competitions were held.University's first music band- 'Tatva' - performed for the first time at the fest. The band of 14 members presented 14 songs of various genres including filmi and devotional.On the occasion, university magazine christened as 'MSU Connect' was launched. This magazine developed by the students will update readers of the happenings across the campus. Art exhibition showcasing university's contribution in literature was put on display at Premnand Hall. One of the speakers, Kartikey Bhatt enlightened the audience on the present scenario of Gujarati film industry. According to Bhatt, Gujarat lacks basic infrastructure required for development of an entertainment industry. The decline in the number of theatres in the state is also one of the reasons.