In the lead up to Independence Day, the first republican student aitys titled “Formidable as a Lion, Powerful as a Tiger, I Believe in Youth!” gathered the best masters from all over the country at S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University.

Marking the start of the special event, Vice-Rector for Strategy and International Cooperation of S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor Arman Akishev delivered his welcome speech to guests and participants. 

The objective of the competition of akyns, the most notable wits, was not only to tell about the republic’s significant achievements of the year, but also to turn the spotlight to burning problems of youth. 

Each participant tried to glorify Kazakhstan and its independence, to tell about the nation’s cohesion and milestones of the country’s historical evolution in his own way. Masters-improvisators had a real intellectual battle on the University’s stage, giving the audience a chance to enjoy their verbal and musical virtuosity. 

Sixteen famous word men, representing Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Semey and Arkalyk, competed for the main prizes of the competition. The prize fund was established by S. Toraighyrov PSU and represented a great amount of money. 

The panel of judges headed by the chairman of the affiliate of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan, a poet Arman Kani unanimously chose winners and runners-up of the competition “Formidable as a Lion, Powerful as a Tiger, I believe in Youth!”. Serik Kuanghan, who came from Semey, won the grand prize of the contest. The first-place prize was given to an improvisator from Pavlodar, Abzal Kabdrashev. Nurganat Kayrat, one of the participants from Astana, became the second-place prize winner of the competition. Syrym Auyezkhan, representing Astana, won a third-place prize. 

The special award established by Rector of S. Toraighyrov PSU was given to an improvisator from Karaganda, Mukhtar Adilov. 

The judges noted that “the popularity of the aitys among the youth of Kazakhstan and the viewers’ interest towards it constantly increase”. 

“Today development and popularization of national values are promising trends. The contest of song masters is aimed at promoting the invaluable cultural heritage among young people and supporting the folk art. The verbal-musical duel of improvisators provides us with an opportunity to reconsider the nation’s history and open new pages of the historical evolution of the Great Steppe”, said the chairman of judges, a poet Arman Kani.

The winner of the competition’s grand prize, Serik Kuanghan said that the declared subject of the youth aitys always took place in his work, so there wasn’t that heavy feeling of stage fright. Ever since the student took the dombra in his hands for the first time in early childhood, the musical instrument has been his companion of life.