The Hindu : Schools youth festival begins today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Schools youth festival begins today

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, JAN. 19. The 44th State Schools Youth Festival, billed as the biggest of its kind in Asia, will begin here on Tuesday.

The Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, will inaugurate the five-day festival, which is expected to bring together about 4,500 students from all the districts.

The Cultural Affairs Minister, G. Karthikeyan, will preside over the function.

The opening ceremony will be preceded by a procession, to be taken out from the Thekkinkad Maidan to the Corporation Stadium.

The procession will have 38 sections, including floats, caparisoned elephants, panchavadya, mounted unit, panchari melam, kavadi, margam kali, and 44 girls carrying `muthukkudas' (colourful umbrellas).

An amount of Rs. 60,000 has been earmarked for the procession, the organisers say.

The mela also includes the 21st State Schools Sanskrit Festival, Sixth Vidyarangam Literary Festival, 10th Pre-Primary Teachers' Training Institute and Ninth Teachers' Training Institute Festival.

Competitions will be held in 140 disciplines, of which 71 will be in the general section.

According to P. K. Valliamma, general convener, the budget of the festival is Rs. 27 lakhs. About 400 experts, some of whom are from outside the State, will decide the prizes.

An appeal committee, headed by the director of Public Instruction, M. Gopalan, has been set up.

The appeals should be lodged within one hour of the declaration of results.

The only difference from last year's event is that the tableau contest has been cancelled, Ms. Valliamma says.

Torches, lit at places (Cheruthuruthy, Kodungallur and Kandassankadavu) associated with litterateurs Vallathol, Kunjukuttan Thampuran and Joseph Mundassery, were brought here this evening.

The torches were received on the Kuruppam Road and then taken to the reception committee office.

A mammoth pandal has been erected at the Corporation Stadium, the main venue.

The 35,000 sq. ft. pandal, constructed by a team led by Padappu Ummer, accommodates about 8,000 viewers.

There will be 14 green rooms adjacent to the 900 sq. ft. stage.

The pandals for the festival have been built at a cost of Rs. 3.5 lakhs, Ms. Valliamma says. Competitions in mohiniyattom, bharathanatyam, margam kali, kuchipudi, oppana, folk and group dance will be held at the main venue.

The other venues include the Town Hall (kolkkali, poorakkali, parichamuttukali, kathaprasangam, light music, thiruvathirakkali, daffumuttu, aravanamuttu, oppana, group dance).

Regional Theatre (veena, ottanthullal, koodiyattom, yakshagana, nataka). Training College Ground (panchavadyam, light music, mappilapattu, chenda, maddalam, kathakali, mimicry, folk dance, instrumental ensemble, patriotic songs). Model Boys Auditorium (group music, mridangam, ganchira, ghatom, English, Tamil and Kannada recitation, kathakali music, ashtapadi, vandemataram).

Sacred Heart Convent Auditorium (fancy dress, monoact, quiz, drama).

Sahitya Akademi Hall (violin-western and eastern styles, Sanskrit seminar, patakam, Hindi recitation). Sangeeta Nataka Akademi compound (aksharashloka, kavyakeli).

Jawahar Balbhavan (Arabic recitation, classical music, chakyarkoothu).

Changampuzha Hall (versification, essay writing).

Fine Arts College (painting, cartoon, clay-modelling) and the Thekkinkad Maidan (band).

The trophies will be presented by the Water Resources Minister, T.M. Jacob, (January 21), the Public Works Minister, M.K. Muneer (January 22), and E. T. Mohammed Basheer, MLA (January 23).

The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, will inaugurate the valedictory function.

The Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, will preside, and the Education Minister will distribute prizes.

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