NEW DELHI: The four-day 'Kala Utsav', a national competition on performing and visual arts, concluded here today with Goa bagging the first prize in 'Music' category. Karnataka won gold in 'Theatre' category, while West Bengal secured the first position in 'Dance' and Andaman and Nicobar Island in 'Visual Arts'.
Around 1400 rpt 1400 students from across the country participated in the competition in various streams. Minister of State for Human Resource Development Mahendra Nath Pandey, after presenting the awards, highlighted the importance of culture and music in one's life. He said India is a diverse country where language, dress and culture change every few kilometres but still known globally for its 'unity in diversity'.
In 'Music' category, Bihar stood at the second place while Jammu and Kashmir bagged the third prize. In 'Theatre', Kerala took the second prize and Tamil Nadu secured the third position. In 'Dance' category, Himachal Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar stood at second and third place. respectively, while in 'Visual Arts' category, the second prize went to 'Navodaya Vidayalaya Samiti and third to Haryana.