5,000 students to compete in 155 events at arts festival

Staff Reporter

Chief Minister to inaugurate the extravaganza on Thursday

KOCHI: The State School Kalotsavam (arts festival) will be inaugurated here by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Ernakulam on Thursday. The festival will be held in 14 venues till January 23.

Announcing the details at a press conference here on Sunday, Minister for Education E.T. Mohammed Basheer said changes made to the festival manual were expected to reduce unhealthy competition among students and parents, the norm till last year when the event was known as school youth festival.

The amendments were also expected to help poor children get an equal opportunity to participate, he added.
Flag hoisting

The programmes will begin with the hoisting of the festival flag in the morning by Director of Public Instruction A. Ajith Kumar. A cultural procession will begin from Maharaja's College Grounds at 3 p.m. and end at Marine Drive. District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish will flag off the pageantry.

Public Education Secretary Lida Jacob will welcome the gathering at the inaugural session, which will begin with the rendering of the welcome song by the playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan.

Mr. Basheer will preside over the function. Minister for Fisheries and Sports Dominic Presentation will present a prize to the designer of the festival logo. Kochi Mayor Mercy Williams will present prizes for best floats in the procession.
The prizes for winners in the competitions will be distributed at the Main Venue at Marine Drive every evening.

The valedictory session will be inaugurated by Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan. P.C. Thomas, MP, will distribute prizes. K. Chandran Pillai, MP, will release the festival souvenir, by handing over the first copy to T.H. Musthafah, MLA.

5,000 participants
The Kalotsavam has been conceived by merging the youth festival, Sanskrit festival and Arabi festival, held separately till last year. More than 5,000 students from 14 districts will take part in the festival.

Competitions will be held in 155 events — 74 in the high school category, 28 in the Sanskrit group, 23 in Arabi, 16 in Teachers' Training Institute (TTI) and 14 in pre-primary TTI.

Festival torches will be carried from the memorials of leaders in the cultural field in the district on Monday and kept on a stage in St. Albert's Higher Secondary School, Ernakulam. The torches will be lit at Kesari Smarakam at North Paravur; memorials of Mehaboob, singer, at Mattancherry, and C.J. Thomas, writer, at Koothattukulam; and Changampuzha Krishna Pillai Memorial at Edappally.

The Golden Trophy of the festival will be brought from Palakkad district, last year's winners, to the border of the district at Karukutty on Thursday morning.

The trophy will be received by Karukutty panchayat president, the district panchayat member P.V. Jose and the festival's general convener V. Sanu.

The cup, made of 117.5 sovereigns of gold, will be received by Ms. Williams at the organising committee office.
As part of the festival, Vidyarangam and Sanskrit seminars will be held on Friday at S.R.V. Higher Secondary School Auditorium and Hindi Prachar Sabha Hall, respectively. An Arabi seminar will be held at Government Girls' Higher Secondary School on Saturday.

The venues are Marine Drive; Pappali Hall; St. Antony's High School, Kacheripady; Ernakulam Town Hall; Rajendra Maidan; Women's Association Hall; Adhyapaka Bhavan; Hindi Prachar Sabha Hall; Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Ernakulam; two stages at St. Albert's School; SRV Lower Primary School; SRV High School; and Durbar Hall Grounds.

District panchayat president P.S. Shyla; K. Babu MLA; Ms. Williams; Mr. Ajith Kumar and Mr. Sanu were present at the press conference.
(The Hindu16/01/07, Monday)