Youth Festivals

Youth is the most dynamic and ambitious time in a person’s life when aspirations and talents need to be expressed most profoundly. Yuvak Biradari has been running many programs to provide opportunities to the youth to express their talent, mainly through art workshops, competitions and youth festivals.

In 1974, Biradari organized its first Yuvotsav (youth festival) at Birla Matushree (Mumbai) under the guidance of actor A K Hangal. Since then, encouraged by its amazing success and popularity among the youth, Yuvotsavs have been regularly held at different venues in India which serve as meeting and learning forums for artists of the future in dance, music, drama, literature, painting and such other art forms. Every year, 1500-2000 budding artists took part in these grand festivals under the auspices of Yuvak Biradari till the year 2000.

Legendary actors Raj Kapur, Sanjeev Kumar, Manmohan Krishna and David Abraham were particularly helpful during the first phase of this project. Later on, it was graced and patronized by renowned artists like the great musicians C. Ramchandra, Shankar (of the Shankar Jayakishan duo), Kalyanji Anandji, Kanu Ghosh, Kuldeep Singh, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Ashit Desai, lyricist Gulzar, singer Parveen Sultana, legendary dancer Sitara Devi and the popular dramatist Mama Pendse.
To run this program, Mafatlal Welfare Centre, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Yashwantrao Chavan Pratisthan, Pramila Datar and Bhai Kambli have extended commendable cooperation and contribution over the years.

Today in India and particularly in Maharashtra, Yuvak Biradari is a name to reckon with for its unique productions and experiments in the field of art and culture. In fact many of the popular artists of film, television and theatre industry in India consider Biradari as their alma mater because it provided them platforms as well as a conducive environment to learn and grow during their initial days. They also got early and rare opportunities to interact with and learn directly from some of the greatest masters of their art and craft.