LAHORE: Students of different universities and colleges participated in the All Punjab National Songs Competition at the Government College University (GCU) here on Tuesday.

The contest was organised in collaboration with the Punjab Higher Education Department in connection with the Pakistan Day.

Nimra Roy of the Kinnaird College was adjudicated the best singer while Sabiha Afzal of the Lahore College for Women University and Komal Mirza of the GCU secured the second and third positions, respectively.

In boys’ category, Usama Babar of the GCU clinched the first position while Ghufran Chishti of the Punjab University and Qaim Ali of University of Lahore were declared second and third, respectively.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood gave away prizes to the winners.

Meanwhile, GCU’s Dr Ajmal Psychological Society organised a Performing Arts Festival on the theme of ‘positive psychology’.

Eight teams of different colleges and universities participated in the festival to project the conflict between good and evil forces within a human mind. The Lahore College for Women University’s performance was most appreciated by the audience. It revolved around the story of an argument between the devils (of anger, hatred and greed) and angels (of love, hope and generosity) which were trying to lure a human mind with their rewards.

The Beaconhouse University staged a play about the miseries of man suffering from a psychological ailment and ultimately finds a way out from his superstitions and hallucinations in Sufism.

The University of Central Punjab performed a play about the people who called themselves spiritual healers and misguided people in the name of religion. The GCU Psychology Department presented a mime on Sufi traditions.

GCU Psychology Department chairperson Dr Syeda Salma Hasan spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2016