Chandigarh, October 6, 2025-The State-Level Kala Utsav 2025 commenced today at PM Shri Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, Chandigarh, amid an atmosphere filled with excitement and creativity. The week-long festival celebrating art and culture began with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony attended by students, teachers, and distinguished guests.
The festival will continue from October 6 to October 13, 2025, across two venues of the host school, featuring six major art categories — Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, Dance, Drama, Traditional Storytelling, and Visual Arts (including 2D, 3D, traditional toys, and games). These competitions aim to provide students with an opportunity to express their artistic talents and connect with India’s rich cultural heritage.
Kala Utsav, initiated in 2015, has evolved into a vibrant platform for secondary school students to showcase their creativity and artistic excellence. It progresses through the school, cluster, state, and national levels, promoting cultural awareness, appreciation of traditions, and celebration of India’s diversity.
This year, a total of 5,460 students participated at the cluster level, including 3,394 girls, 1,922 boys, and 144 students with special needs. The best performers from these rounds have been selected to compete at the state level, where the winners will represent Chandigarh at the National Kala Utsav and perform on a prestigious national platform.
The inauguration ceremony began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Sunil Bedi, Deputy Director School-I Education and Deputy SPD (Samagra Shiksha); Neena Kalia, Deputy Director -II Bindu Arora, Deputy Director- III Rajesh Jain, District Education Officer
In his inaugural address, Sunil Bedi praised the enthusiasm, dedication, and artistic potential of the participating students. He emphasized that art is not only a medium of expression but also a foundation for holistic personality development. He encouraged students to make the most of this opportunity and strive for higher artistic achievements.
The first day of the festival was dedicated to music, featuring competitions in Vocal Music – Solo and Group categories. Students from government, aided, and private schools participated with great enthusiasm. The stage was beautifully designed to reflect the diversity and charm of Indian music, showcasing classical, semi-classical, folk, patriotic, and devotional genres.
The panel of judges for Vocal Music (Group) included Sanjeev Kapoor (Music Composer & Producer), Dr. Jaspreet Jassal (Professor & Doordarshan Artist), and Dr. Sushma Sharma (Professor & Advisor for National and International Music Festivals).
For Vocal Music (Solo), the judges were Pradeep Sharma (Music Coach & Mentor, recipient of the National Pride Award), Dr. Shimpi Kashyap (Faculty at Pracheen Kala Kendra & AIR Artist), and Prof. Harvinder Singh (Renowned Performer, ICCR & Censor Board Advisor, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee).
The State-Level Kala Utsav 2025 stands as a celebration of creativity, cultural integrity, and artistic excellence, inspiring Chandigarh’s young generation to embrace and preserve India’s artistic traditions.