By Felix Anthony

Guwahati, July 18, 2020: An online talent hunt organized by the Church in northeastern India has received an overwhelming response from the young people of the region, the organizers claim.

The North East Regional Youth Council (NERYC), the regional youth wing of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, organized the July 1-7 ‘North East Got Talent’ competition to keep the youth engaged during these lockdown times.

More than 300 Catholic youth participated in the competition on photography, singing and dancing.

“I am deeply thrilled to see such huge participation in the competitions from the 15 dioceses of the region,” said Hittery Rebecca, the chief organizer and the national treasurer of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement. “The participation of youth in large numbers is an expression the huge pool of talent available in the region,” she added.

A total of 111 youth participated in the online singing competition, 38 youth in dancing and 158 youth took part in the photography competition on theme ‘Prayer and Nature’ from the seven states of the region.

Expressing joy at the number of participants, NERYC chairman Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao said the northeastern Indian region is a mountain of talent. He commended the organizers for giving the youth a platform to discover their hidden talents during thie Covid lockdown. “I am sure these talents will keep our youth engaged and hopeful for better days ahead and give hope to others,” the 66-year-old Salesian prelate added.

NERYC director Sister Bernadeth Kropi too expressed happiness to see “many energetic, creative and aesthetic young minds” coming together through the digital competition.

Father John Albert Ryntathiang, the Diocesan Youth Directors’ Representative of NERYC, congratulated the participants and said “our social media pages are now filled with lovely devotional dances, inspirational songs and captivating photos” because of the online program.

A panel of judges is going through the entries. The winners will be declared on August 9, the National Youth Sunday.