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With youthful zest
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The life of many a student revolves around performing well at the youth festivals and seeing their name in print. The Kerala University Youth Festival this year too had its share of fun and drama.
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Sheethal Raghunath of the Colelge of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, who bageed the first prize in the stringed Instrument (Western) category.
IT WAS, indeed, a celebration of youth. The city became a hot spot for almost a week in mid-January during the Kerala University Youth Festival 2004, drawing huge crowds from across the southern districts.
The festival began with some splendid performances of Mohiniyattom. "About 500 volunteers worked round the clock for the success of the mega fest," said S.S. Manoj, Program Committee convener. Five days, seven venues, and 62 events -- the days were packed with activity. The journalism students at the Media Centre had their hands full.
"We wanted to show that it was high time Thiruvananthapuram was made the permanent venue of youth festivals.
The city has the entire infrastructure," beamed a volunteer.
A point worth arguing, indeed! But the fiery exchange of words that marks debates and elocutions was missing. Contestants were groping in the dark when they were told to speak on `World Politics and Terrorism'. Dr. A. Sathyaraj, Department of History, FMN College, Kollam said: "Only a few students had any idea about the topic." G. S. Pradeep of `Ashwamedham' fame and one of the judges for the Malayalam elocution said: "The students of the present day are like machines, failing to respond to their surroundings in a creative manner."
However, the dance stage was vibrant. N. A. Salim Farooqui, judge for the Oppana competition, expressed satisfaction: "Save for two or three teams, all
other performances were good."
The festival had its fair share of criticism as well. The stage was strictly a no-fly zone for the poor. "We spent nearly a lakh to get our daughter trained in dance," a parent revealed. Each college spends lakhs of rupees on preparations for the team events. So, it is only natural that contests involving big money bring in big frustration.
"After all that brilliant performance, she hasn't won any prize. My daughter had performed better than other girls," said another distraught parent, appealing to the authorities for a revaluation.
"They see only their daughter's performance," sighed an organiser who has over the years seen several parents shed tears and go in for appeals.
Body Krishna of the Medical college, Thiruvananthapuram, who won the second prize in Kuchipudi (male) segment.
Such voices of protests were not rare. Mothy, who won the `Kalathilakom' title a couple of years back, voiced her protest at some of the judgements. "It is a bit frustrating for me as an artiste. There is some hidden agenda." Prathibha Prabhakaran, second-year BA literature student of S.N. Women's College,
Kollam, was more specific, "Blame the top colleges of Thiruvananthapuram. One would suspect foul play after the way they were pulling off the major wins." But Rajimol, University Union vice-chairperson, found the allegations baseless. "They are frustrated after such a long spell of hard work. Students have missed a lot of classes practicing for the contests," she said.
The fine arts events were a bit of a dampener. Dr. Ajith Kumar, who won the `Kalaprathibha' title some years ago, said, "If you want to see good paintings, go to see the ones at the Thrissur School Youth festival. Thiruvananthapuram is not the spot for art appreciation." Barring a few, which were adjudged the best in the contest, all others failed to reflect some idea. "They are misleading art," he said. And the low turnout of the viewers acted as a spoilsport. The audiences as well as the media always prefer colourful performances on the stage. "In one way, it is good," said Dr. Ajith Kumar. "It is not right for performers to bask in media glare once they win a prize. They think that they are the best in the respective field. The success here is only a step on the ladder to becoming an artist."
Cut to the theatre. The skits and mime performances tried to reflect the present political scenario. A good theme and performance were the key to success. The viewers were not going to remain quiet this time. Each round of claps and boos had their own message. "We didn't want to stifle their right to react," said a volunteer. But the invisible iron curtain was always there, even though party volunteers had been taught a lesson on hospitality and good manners and were performing their role exceptionally well. "Even a leader like me wouldn't be spared if I made some move to spoil the fun," confided a student leader. The air was particularly heavy inside the University College campus, where a large chunk of the competitions were conducted. "Such discipline is the key to the success of any major event," the student leader added.
But was there any discipline in the fancy dress competition? One contestant set himself on fire, forcing the viewers and judges to the edge of their seats. The sense of pity, revulsion and horror was exploited to the maximum. To many, the fancy dress competition is the joker in the pack as far as the events are concerned. "What art is there in it?" asked Ratheesh, a student.
Putting such questions aside for the moment, Martin, Administrative Officer of the Students committee, University of Kerala, was getting ready to catch a few winks, after five days of hard work. "We had prepared only the framework. It was the students who gave it their flesh and blood. It is indeed their success," he smiled, wearily.
MANU REMAKANT
Photos: S. Gopakumar
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