Gonda: Students from various schools and colleges across Gonda displayed their creative and artistic talents at ‘Jhilmil Diwali Dhamal – The Ultimate Talent Contest’ and ‘Lok Lahari 2026’, organised at Saraswati Devi Nari Gyanasthali PG College on November 5.
The event featured a series of competitions, including antakshari, rangoli making, hairstyling and decorative thali arrangements. A folk dance competition also offered students an opportunity to explore the traditional cultural heritage of Uttar Pradesh.
Sarju Prasad Girls’ Pathshala Inter College emerged as the overall champion, securing the highest cumulative score across the competitions. The team was awarded the ‘Jhilmil Diwali Champion 2026’ trophy.
AIMS Inter College Tops Antakshari
The programme opened with the ‘Suron Ki Jung’ antakshari competition, which saw participation from seven inter colleges. AIMS Inter College secured first place, followed by Sarju Prasad Girls’ Pathshala Inter College in second position. AIMS International School and Maharishi Vidya Mandir Inter College jointly secured third place.
Dr Anandita Rajat, Dr Neelam Chhabra, Dr Sadhana Gupta, Kanchanlata Pandey, Manvendra Srivastava and RJ Adnan contributed to organising the competition.
AIMS International School Wins Rangoli Contest
Nine inter-college teams participated in the ‘Rangon Ki Udaan’ rangoli competition. Abhidha Tiwari and Divyanshi Shukla of AIMS International School won first place. Afreen Bano and Anuradha Yadav of Government Girls Inter College secured second place, while Sana Fatima of Bhaiya Raghavram Inter College finished third.
The competition was coordinated by Dr Seema Srivastava, Dr Mausami Singh and Dr Neetu Singh.
Students Display Creativity in Hairstyling and Thali Decoration
The ‘Kesh Sajja Ka Kamaal’ hairstyling competition witnessed participation from five inter colleges. Sana Fatima of Jyoti Vidya Mandir won first place, followed by Yasika Patwa of AIMS International School and Khushboo of Sarju Prasad Girls’ Pathshala Inter College.
In the ‘Sajawat Ka Jaadu’ thali decoration competition, Samishtha Gupta of AIMS Inter College secured first place. Khushi of Bhaiya Raghavram Inter College came second, while Nancy Maurya of Sarju Prasad Girls’ Inter College finished third.
Dr Rashmi Dwivedi, Himanshi Mishra and Sneha Patwa coordinated the hairstyling contest, while Dr Amita Srivastava and Dr Kumkum Singh supervised the thali decoration competition.
Awadhi Folk Performances Add Cultural Flavour
Food stalls, gaming counters and selfie points added to the festive atmosphere on the college campus. Alfiyah and Aarya played a key role in setting up the selfie point.
Music faculty members Dr Manisha Saxena, Kiran Pandey, Priyanka Tiwari, Geeta Srivastava, Jaya Tripathi and Sarika presented Awadhi folk songs, drawing appreciation from the audience.
Yoga Department Wins Lok Lahari Dance Competition
The concluding segment featured the ‘Lok Lahari’ dance competition, organised for college students to familiarise them with the folk dances and cultural traditions of Uttar Pradesh.
Five groups participated in the competition. The Yoga Department secured first place, followed by the Education Department in second position and the Music Department in third place. Samta Dhankani played a key role in organising the event.
Shreya Mishra was named ‘Jhilmil Diwali Star’, while Alfiyah received the ‘Dance Queen’ title.
Principal Honours Winners
College Principal Dr Aarti Srivastava presented medals to the winners and extended Diwali greetings to the participants and guests. The programme was conducted by Monica Srivastava and concluded with a Dandiya dance performance by college students.
Several faculty members, staff and other guests attended the celebrations, including Ranjana Bandhu, Roma Nigam, Rekha Srivastava, Dr Ashu Tripathi, Sunita Mishra, Sunita Pandey, Anu Upadhyay, Dr D. Kumar, Dr Vimala, Sushma Singh, Subhendu Verma, Vandana Mishra, Preeti Srivastava, Roli Srivastava, Ila Srivastava and Sandhya Sinha, among others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=RtToJsBhYBatUrym&v=mOuYNSdhjHA&feature=youtu.be
