PAU Youth Fest Kicks Off

Ludhiana, November 4, 2026: Amid colourful cultural procession and dhol beats, the Inter-College Youth Festival 2026-27 kicked off formally at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today. Showcasing the merits and demerits of Punjab, the cultural procession highlighted agriculture as the main occupation and importance of five rivers, respect for elders and love for kids, growing drug menace, rising mobile addiction, and Punjabi youths abandoning homeland and running abroad in search of green pastures. Youths made a call for making vibrant state of ‘Punjab’ a ‘Rangla Punjab’ once again.
Students from six constituent colleges of PAU, namely, College of Agriculture (COA), College of Horticulture and Forestry (COHF), College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAET), College of Basic Sciences and Humanities (COBSH), College of Community Science (COCS) at Ludhiana; College of Agriculture at Ballowal Saunkhri (BS); and outstation Institutes of Agriculture at Bathinda and Gurdaspur are participating in lined-up items with great enthusiasm.
The chief guest Harpal Singh Cheema, Finance Minister, Punjab, lauded PAU for earning global recognition for making Punjab state “Bread Basket of India” by contributing substantially to the national food kitty. Blessed with elite and rich cultural heritage, Punjab has always seen an active and energetic participation of youths in youth as well as cultural festivals and sports events, he observed. In addition to allocation of Rs 30 crore for infrastructure development last year, PAU was all set to receive next grant for strengthening girls and boys hostel, he assured, while asking PAU authorities to send the estimate for its allocation.
Lauding the buoyant spirits and upbeat mood of the youths, Dr Harvinder Singh Dhaliwal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, said, “The extravagant event of the youth fest has been designed to help youths  identify,  cherish and unleash talent,” he stated. This University has produced great artistes like Dr JS Bhalla and Bal Mukund Sharma as well as great Punjabi writers Dr Surjit Patar, Kulwant Virk and Prof Mohan Singh, he added. “PAU looks forward to producing more renowned figures,” he said.
The Director of Students’ Welfare, Dr KS Suri, in his welcome address, called the youth fest as the celebration of life. He stressed on following three principles – discipline, vision and dedication for making a mark and achieving all-round success.
Dr TS Riar, Additional Director Communication, proposed a vote of thanks.
On the occasion, Dr Ashok Kumar, Member of Board of Management; Dr Nirmal Jaura, ex-DSW, PAU; Dr JP Sharma, ex-VC, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu; and Dr VP Patel, ADG (Horticulture), ICAR, were felicitated. Later, PAU VC honoured the chief guest with a phulkari and memento.