State school arts festival gala begins in Ananthapuri

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 63rd State School Arts Festival commenced in the capital city with pomp and gaiety. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Asia's largest art festival at MT-Nila main venue in Central Stadium. The Chief Minister also wished luck to all students participating in the event.

The Chief Minister started his speech by paying obeisance to the late literary legend MT Vasudevan Nair. The Chief Minister said that the school arts festival, which begins with the group dance of Vellarmala school children, is more of a spectacle of survival than an art performance. Back in August, many students of Vellarmala school in Wayanad lost their lives in the deadly landslides.

“It's doubtful that anywhere else in the world can a state’s entire youth group together at one venue every year to excel in art and joy. The hopes, ideas and ideals of a generation are transformed in the arts festival. Art festivals are the epitome of artistic expression and are an integral part of the educational process. The winners in school art festivals go on to become the veterans in that field. However, many people these days are dropping their artistic talent right after they complete their schooling. The government will pay attention to this matter and it is indeed serious” said CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

In the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Public Education V. Sivan Kutty presided. Education Principal Secretary Rani George gave the welcome address. Ministers G.R. Anil, K. Rajan, A. K. Saseendran, Roshy Augustine, K.N. Balagopal and 29 chief guests attended.

The dance performance for the welcome song composed by Srinivasan Thuneri and arranged by Kavalam Sreekumar was performed by the children of Kalamandalam and public schools. Thiruvananthapuram is hosting the State School Arts Festival after eight years. There will be a total of 25 venues in the event. The events will be telecast live on the Kite Victors channel. There is also a digital facility near the venues to check the results. A one-time cultural scholarship of Rs 1,000 will be given to students securing an A grade. About fifteen thousand students are participating in the festival for the next four days.