Youngsters participate in a dance competition at Glory Fest Youth Festival in Puri. Pictures by Sarat Patra

Jan. 10: Creativity, ingenuity, spontaneity and fun are at play at the 17th Glory Fest, a national-level youth festival for college and university students, which began in Puri on Sunday.

This year, more than 350 youngsters from different parts of the country are taking part in the annual event.

Based on the theme “Dream Out Loud”, the five-day programme began at Puri’s Town Hall with the students participating in a variety of cultural and intellectually-stimulating activities.

As some swayed to the foot-tapping tunes of Sambalpuri songs and racy Bollywood numbers, others coloured the canvas with their imagination. Shutterbugs put up a display of frames from daily life while aspiring models sashayed the ramp in trendy outfits. Solo singing, sitar recital, debate, group discussions and quiz contests are also being held.

The initial rounds of Glory Queen, a beauty pageant, the star attraction of the fest, was held yesterday evening. Of 55 participants, 15 have been shortlisted for the final. The selection has been made on the contestants’ performance based on a series of personality and intelligence tests.

“There was a written test, a photo session and a question-and-answer round and luckily, I cleared them all to reach the finals. I am keeping my fingers crossed. If I win the title of Glory Queen, it would be a dream come true for me,” said Anjali Patel, a nursing student from Bhubaneswar.

Personalities from the Odia film industry were likely to attend the fest and regale the participants and the audience on the Puri sea beach with dance and music performances, said Rajesh Kumar Mohanty, one of the organisers of Glory Fest-2012.

“Puri has come alive with youthful energy and enthusiasm. We have invited film stars and other celebrities to be part of this festival. Our aim is to give a platform to the hopes and aspirations of the youth,” Mohanty added. The organisers said popular singer Babul Supriyo, who has sung several Odia songs, would perform on the golden beach of the holy town at the concluding day of the event on January 12. “Every year, we used to get requests from both the participants and the audience to invite a Bollywood singer to perform on the last evening of the fest. So, this year, we have invited Babul Supriyo,” Mohanty said.