While navigating the field of arts, do not neglect education. Acquire diverse skills and identify what you like and what you are good at, then move forward, advised senior actor Prashant Damle to the youth on Friday. As he received the awards, he made statements like 'Whose voice is it?', 'We ourselves build our play', 'We ourselves write our play', and 'Pundlik Vardhe Hari Vittal', prompting students to celebrate.

The event was held as the 61st Purushottam Karandak Inter-College One-Act Play Competition's award distribution ceremony organized by Maharashtriy Kalopasak. The ceremony, held at Bharat Natya Mandir, saw the distribution of awards to the winning teams by Prashant Damle, the chairman of the Indian Theatre Council and senior actor. During the event, he engaged emotionally with the students. The ceremony also honored Yogesh Somani, the president of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, and Dr. Vijaykumar Joshi, who presented research on student playwrights of the Purushottam Karandak competition.

The event was attended by notable figures including Anant Nigojkar, the president of Maharashtriy Kalopasak, Dr. Suhas Joshi, the vice-president, Prasad Shirgavkar, Amrut Samak, and Nipun Dharmadhikari, the final round examiners. The ceremony began with the presentation of the one-act play 'Lajaluu' by the College of Fine Arts at Bharati Vidyapeeth. The presentation of 'Lajaluu', the one-act play that won the Purushottam Karandak, took place.

Prashant Damle advised the youth to never be perfect alone, and to support each other to move forward. Sharing his own artistic journey, he said, 'I worked as a mob artist from 1978 to 1982, and that period was very enlightening. The real audience reactions are understood there. The grace of the stage deity came through the play 'Turtur', and my journey began. I met great creators and collaborators. It is essential to be determined, keep the spirit of competition, and focus on these elements. One must clearly hear every word spoken on the stage, with the last letter of each sentence clearly understood. These are essential guidelines,' he said.

The examiners Shirgavkar, Samak, and Nipun Dharmadhikari presented their thoughts. The examiners praised the variety of themes, the diversity of aspirations, technical cleanliness, the excess of student playwrights, and the maturity in handling these elements. Shirgavkar said, 'This is a platform that nurtures artists within themselves.' Dharmadhikari said, 'Consider this as your own platform, not just for the competition. Your competitors today are your collaborators tomorrow.' Yogesh Somani and Dr. Vijaykumar Joshi also shared their thoughts. The event was moderated by Advocate Rajendra Thakurdasai.