Youth Day Festival 2023

This year's Youth Day celebrations took place at the Youth Centre on Saturday, August 12th. The event, brought together by the Youth Link and Youth Centre teams, offered the community an opportunity for “celebration, empowerment, love and sharing” around the theme of “youth through generations”. 

The event announcement specified a dress code to encourage the community to come dressed according to the fashion trends of decades past, culminating in a vibrant array of colours, decorations and wigs on the day itself.

A leisurely stroll down the "Time Boulevard" showcased the ways “youth culture” has morphed in the decades from the 1950s to the present. Interwoven with this was the history of Auroville itself, juxtaposing images of the first caravans that were making their way from Europe to South India alongside images showing the frenzy of Beatlemania. 

The obstacle course, crate-stacking challenge, face-painting booth, t-shirt mud-dyeing station, pop culture word puzzles, macramé corner, and spray painting area were buzzing throughout the afternoon with people of all ages. Whether one sought the thrill of a "the-floor-is-lava" challenge or the artistic expression found in the art corner, everyone discovered engaging activities and felt brought together by a sense of shared enjoyment.

At four in the afternoon, collective games took centre stage. Laughter echoed as participants engaged in classics like Simon Says, limbo, tug-of-war, the tail game, a sack race, Kajimba pong, and even a “dad joke” competition. “It was fun to revisit games from when we were younger and play them again with people of all ages,” said Madu, who helped with the day’s preparations and took charge of the mud-dye station. The rain, although causing a few slips, only made the afternoon more memorable for everyone there.

The evening programme was kicked off with a classic Miraculous Productions play, appropriately titled Short Notice considering that they were given less than a week to script it and get it up on stage. Little Beauté, a young girl cursed by her evil aunt Malfunction, pricks her finger on a mullu and falls into a deep sleep, only to be woken up by the kiss of a bicycle. However confusing this description may sound, the performance brought laughter and amusement to all present.

A delicious dinner of Youth Centre pizza preceded the night time musical festivities. Live band performances were accompanied by fire juggling. And for the grand finale, the travelling band The Romantikos gave a captivating performance of Spanish gypsy melodies, which had everyone dancing – a perfect ending to a beautiful day. “This is the stuff that I’ll always remember and cherish about growing up as an AV kid,” said Vinesh, already feeling the nostalgia.