Ambuja Manovikas Kendra bags ‘Overall Championship Trophy’ at Punjab State-level Cultural Competition ‘UMANG 2019’

by Priya Jadhav

o   Ambuja Manovikas Kendra (AMK) wins the title for the fourth consecutive year

o   Performs exceptionally well in nine contests to clinch the main trophy

May – Students of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra (AMK), the only educational institute for special children in Punjab’s Ropar district and an initiative of Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF) –  the CSR arm of leading cement manufacturer Ambuja Cements Ltd – have clinched the ‘Overall Championship Trophy’ at the ‘UMANG 2019’ for the fourth year in a row. The event is the 4^th Punjab State-level Cultural Competition organised for the intellectually disabled students and special teachers.

The Special Olympics Bharat, Punjab chapter, in collaboration with Ashadeep Welfare Society conducted this cultural competition in Hoshiarpur district recently. The Special Olympics Bharat is the National Sports Federation that uses sports as a catalyst to transform the lives of children and adults with intellectual disability. This year, the event witnessed participation from 250 students of 28 special schools. A 12-member delegation including eight students and four teachers represented AMK.

Commenting on the achievement, Pearl Tiwari – Head of Ambuja Cement Foundation – said, “It is indeed a proud moment for all of us as our students and teachers from AMK exhibited incredible performance in the state level competition. I believe that winning the ultimate title for fourth year in a row is the result of continuous practice, sheer hard work and determination. Congratulations to both students and entire teaching staff.”

Brimming with pride, Suresh Thakur – Principal of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra – said, “The students and teachers worked together, spending a lot of time and energy, in order to deliver the best at the competition and outshine their own previous performances. Seeing them win the championship gives me confidence that they can accomplish even more in the future.”

The AMK team performed exceptionally well in both singing and dancing contests, scoring maximum points that led to securing the championship trophy and cash prize. AMK caters to over 80 children, all broadly fitting into the category of mentally challenged, and provides them with a conducive environment tailored to meet individual developmental needs.

Contest	Winner/s
1st Place Solo Singing Female (Junior Group)	Baksho
1st Place Solo Dancing Female (Junior Group)	Baksho
1st Place Solo Singing Female (Senior Group)	Meera Kumari
2nd Place Solo Dancing Male (Senior Group)	Amanpreet Singh
1st Place in Group Singing	Baksho, Jaskaran Kaur, Meera  Kumari, Ramandeep Kaur(1), Neha, Ramandeep Kaur(2)
2nd Place in Gidda for Girls
3rd Place in Group Dancing
2nd Place in Unified Dance	Indu, Priyanka, Varsha, Meera Kumari, Jaskaran Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur (1)
1st Place in Solo Singing for Teachers/ Coaches	Sanjit Singh

About Ambuja Cement Foundation:Established in 1993, Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF) is the social development arm of Ambuja Cements Ltd., exclusively working with rural communities to make them self-reliant and help them utilise their potential for a prosperous life. Ambuja Cement is part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim and one of the leading cement manufacturing companies in India. Completing 25 years, ACF has been working on issues related to water resource management, sustainable agriculture, skill-based livelihoods, health & sanitation, quality education and women empowerment. With its presence in 29 locations across 11 states, ACF is currently reaching out to well over 25 million people across India.