Elocution contest for students

Darjeeling: The Darjeeling Police along with Ramakrishna Mission will be organising an elocution contest for students from December 19 to commemorate the 157th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The finals of the contest will be held on January 20, 2020 in Darjeeling.

The day being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is commemorated as National Youth Day. The elocution contest will be held throughout the district mainly Darjeeling, Kurseong, Mirik and parts of Siliguri. There will be three categories - sub junior from Classes 1 to 5; junior from Classes 6 to Class 10 and senior for Classes 11, 12 and college students. Sub juniors will be asked to speak on "Why I love Swami Vivekananda." For the Junior category the topic is "A quote of Swami Vivekananda I love and why;" and for the Senior category the topic is "Swami Vivekananda's idea of upliftment of women and masses."

"Participants can speak in English, Hindi, Nepali or Bengali. If they want to speak in any other language they have to inform us beforehand. There is a total cash award of one and a half lakh rupees along with gift hampers and other prizes worth another one lakh rupees," said Amarnath K, Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling.

Books on Swami Vivekananda will also be given to participants. Registration forms will be available at all police stations under the Darjeeling police and in schools, free of cost. Last date of registration is December 17.

Sub-divisional level competitions will be held on December 20 at GDNS Hall for Darjeeling Sadar, on of December 19 for Kurseong at St Anthony's school, December 19 for Rural at Naxalbari Community Hall and December 19 at Krishnanagar Club Hall for Mirik. The finals will be held in Darjeeling on January 20 in which the sub division level winners will take part.

"This is being organised to engage with the youth and spread the values propagated by Swami Vivekanda towards nation building," added the SP.