Manipal Academy of Higher Education Hosts Utsav ’23

Manipal, April 12, 2023: Utsav ’23, the annual cultural festival organized by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education’s cultural coordination committee was inaugurated on April 11th at KMC Greens by Vasanti R. Pai, trustee of the MAHE trust.

Pro Chancellor of MAHE, Dr. H. S. Ballal, Vice Chancellor, Lt. Gen (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Geetha Maiya, Chairperson of CCC MAHE, Dr. Shobha Kamath, and Secretary of CCC MAHE, Dr. Sambit Dash, were present at the event.

This year’s Utsav, conducted on a larger scale compared to the previous year due to eased COVID-19 restrictions, features thirty-five events over five days, with students from all of MAHE’s units taking part. The festival provides participants with an opportunity to display their skills and network with peers who share similar interests. The theme for this year’s event is “Indian Royalty,” which showcases India’s enchanting culture. Prize money worth Rs. 3.5 lakh is given for various events.

Utsav is the largest and grandest cultural festival for the MAHE family, and this year groups from five campuses outside of Manipal, including Dubai, Jamshedpur, Jaipur, Sikkim, and Bengaluru, are also participating. MAHE has always fostered a reputation for academic excellence, social responsibility, innovation, and participation in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, making Utsav a stage for the university’s proud and talented minds to showcase their talents.

The staff Utsav was held on March 11 and April 10, with activities like cooking, carving fruit and vegetables, and different kinds of entertainment. The prizes for these events were distributed during the inauguration ceremony.

On the first day of student Utsav on April 11, events including painting, debate, cartooning, extempore, instrumental solo, eastern vocal solo, cultural parade, and group folk dance took place. The highlight of the evening was the cultural parade, where all the teams presented various cultures with enthusiasm and zeal. The performances covered various cultures from all over India and beyond, including Indian cinema and the Middle East.

The group folk dance was the last event of the day, showcasing traditional dance forms like ghoomar, yakshagana, lambadi-banjaara, and kangilu, to bring the day’s proceedings to a close with unforgettable performances from the students.