Lucknow, Dec. 2 -- The first phase of the UP Sangeet Natak Akademi's regional music competition began at Sant Gadgeji Maharaj Auditorium of the Akademi on Monday. On the first day of the competition, several participants took part in instrumental music in various categories. This year nearly 1,100 people participated in the divisional classical and light music competition held across 23 centres in 18 divisions. Two new centres-Lakhimpur and Farrukhabad-have been added this year. The winners of that competition participated in the regional competition. In the children's category, Shivansh Singh from Varanasi presented Raag Bhoopali on a rare instrument - Vichitra Veena. Rudra Monga from Saharanpur presented Raag Kirwani on the sarod, and Kavan Preet Singh impressed the audience with Raag Miyan ki Malhar on the sitar. In the junior category, Anjaneya Joshi from Greater Noida performed Raag Saraswati on the flute; Srijan from Moradabad played Raag Bhoopali on the flute; and Uday Prakash from Banda showcased his skill on the sitar with Raag Yaman. In the youth category, Shashwat Girdhar from Prayagraj played Raag Yaman on the sitar, while Nikita Singh from Saharanpur impressed with Raag Rageshree on the sarod. In the string instruments category - Shivansh Singh (children's category), Anika Husain (junior) and Nikita Singh (youth) emerged as winners. While in wind instruments - Ratan Shri (children's category), Anjaneya Joshi (junior), and Satyam Tripathi (youth) were declared winners....