Puttur, 15 September 2026: Bhajans and shlokas taught by elders are a powerful means of preserving cultural values and strengthening spiritual traditions, said Subrahmanya Nattoji, president of Ambika Group of Educational Institutions.
He was speaking after inaugurating a series of competitions organised by the Dharmabhyudaya–Dharma Education Committee for students from various Dharma education centres in Puttur. The programme was held at Ambika Vidyalaya CBSE at Bappalige on Saturday as part of the Sri Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
“Nurturing awareness about Sanatana Dharma is a responsibility shared by all of us. Bhajans bring people together and help create a spiritual atmosphere. The bhajans and shlokas taught to us by our elders are a valuable tradition and a source of strength,” Nattoji said.
He also highlighted India’s contribution to the world through yoga and stressed the importance of passing traditional values on to younger generations.
Competitions in bhajane, speech, essay writing, drawing and shloka recitation were conducted for students in the junior, senior and high school categories.
Students from the Bellippady Dharma Education Centre, Sri Shakti Jatadhari Bhajana Mandir Dharma Education Centre at Ajjikallu, and the Dharmabhyudaya Dharma Education Centre at Ishwaramangala participated in the competitions.
Competition Results
In the bhajane competition, the Ishwaramangala Dharmabhyudaya Dharma Education Centre secured first place, followed by the Sri Shakti Jatadhari Bhajana Mandir Dharma Education Centre, Ajjikallu, in second place and Bellippady Dharma Education Centre in third place.
In the senior speech competition, Bhuvan A of Bellippady secured first place, while Yashwin Rai of Ajjikallu secured second place.
In the high school speech competition, Hrithika K of Bellippady won first place and Shravya secured second place.
In the senior essay competition, Bindushree of Ajjikallu secured first place.
In the high school essay competition, Khushi of Bellippady won first place, Manasa of Ishwaramangala secured second place and Soksha of Bellippady secured third place.
In the junior drawing competition, Ritwin Rai K of Ajjikallu secured first place.
In the senior drawing competition, Greeshma of Bellippady won first place, Poorthi K of Ishwaramangala secured second place and Dhanvith of Ajjikallu secured third place.
In the high school drawing competition, N.K. Jeevaj of Ishwaramangala won first place, followed by Sonali K.S. of Bellippady in second place and Manvith of Ajjikallu in third place.
In the junior shloka recitation competition, Samarth of Ishwaramangala secured first place and Nishvi of Ajjikallu secured second place.
In the senior shloka recitation competition, Samruddhi of Ishwaramangala won first place, Manvi of Ajjikallu secured second place and Tanya of Bellippady secured third place. Ambika Group of Educational Institutions secretary Rajashree Nattoji was present at the programme.
Principal Malathi D., Vice-Principal Sujani Borkar, representatives of the Dharma education centres and teaching staff were also present. Teacher Shailashree welcomed the gathering and proposed the vote of thanks. Teacher Priyashree K.S. announced the list of prize winners, while teacher Hemanth compered the programme.
Keywords: Puttur Dharmabhyudaya, Dharma Education, Subrahmanya Nattoji, Bhajane Competition, Shloka Recitation, Ambika Vidyalaya, Citizen News Puttur