Patna: Four young participants from Bihar have brought national recognition to the state after delivering outstanding performances at the 29th National Youth Festival, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event, organised on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, brought together selected youth from 36 states and union territories.
In the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue speech competition, Parth Kaushik from Bihar secured second place nationwide, marking a significant achievement in a contest that focused on leadership, vision, and innovation for India’s future.
In the folk song category, Mahima Maurya from Patna was selected for a special ten-member national singing ensemble, even though Bihar’s team did not qualify collectively for the finals. The group performed Vande Mataram before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an appearance that was broadcast live on DD News. Her inclusion was described as a moment of pride for the entire state.
Ayushi Arya, also from Patna, was selected under the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue for her PowerPoint presentation, in which she presented innovative ideas related to national development directly to the prime minister.
Bihar’s presence was equally strong in the visual arts. In the painting competition, Deepak was selected for his artwork, which was chosen to be presented as a gift to the Union minister Kiren Rijiju.
Pranav Kumar, secretary of the Department of Art and Culture, Bihar, said the achievements reflected the confidence and excellence of the state’s youth. “Their performances before the prime minister show that Bihar’s young people have the potential to lead the nation in cultural, intellectual, and innovative fields. The state government will continue to provide opportunities and support to nurture such talent,” he said.
Under the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, ten youths were selected from each state and assessed through both challenge-based and cultural tracks. The strong showing by Bihar’s participants highlighted the growing national footprint of the state’s young generation across diverse creative and intellectual disciplines.
