Punya Foundation Celebrates 12 Years of its Establishment

On 20 June 2022, Punya Foundation organised a Poem Recitation Competition to mark its 12 years of establishment and to celebrate its achievements. Punya Foundation’s establishment day coincides with the World Refugee Day. Mr Khagendra Khatiwada and Ms Divyashree Acharya facilitated the program.

Mr Sanman Kafley, Director of Administration chaired the program. Prof. Dr. Bhim Prasad Khatiwada, Rector of the Sanskrit University, Dang was the chief guest. Special guests on attendance were Mr TB Rai (Adelaide), Ms Indira Bhandari (New Zealand), Mr Ram Karki (the Netherlands), Ms Renuka Lama (NRNA Coordinator, SA) and Mr Mohan Hangkhim (President BAASA).

Established and renowned literary figures Mr CK Shrestha (Darjeeling), Ms Pavitra Lama (Duars), Mr Milan Bohora (Assam) and Ms Louis Bista (Sikkim) were on the panel of judges. Pundit Sushil Pokhrel provided literary introduction of the laureates extracting some of their publications.

 

Pundit Santiram Dhakal welcomed the guests and participants.

Twenty-one contestants representing Australia, Bhutanese Refugee Camp in Nepal, New Zealand, and USA recited their poems. Themes of the recited poems varied – appreciations to the mother earth’s gift, pain and suffering inflicted having to leave the mother land, abstract thankfulness, personal analogy, etc.

The contestants were evaluated by a panel of judges against a set of evaluation guidelines. Mr Keshab Ghimire AKA Bairagi Mailo and Mr Madhu Ghimire secured first and second positions and Mr Hari Uprety and Mr Narayan Bhattarai third positions.

Dr Lakshmi Prasad Dhakal concluded the program expressing thanks to all guests, panel of judges, participants, well-wishers and Punya Foundation’s volunteers.

Note: please refer to the Nepali section of our website to read the beautiful poems, appreciate and encourage our writers. You may click here