Curtains down on Kerala school arts festival

The 64th State School Arts Festival, splattering a wealth of art for five days in the cultural capital of Kerala, culminated on Sunday. Kannur district was declared the winner, surpassing the reigning champions Thrissur on their home turf. Kannur trailed Thrissur by five points on the points board. Kannur ended the campaign with 1028 points. Thrissur got 1023 points. Kozhikode is in third place with 1017 points. The cup, worth 117.5 sovereigns of gold, was presented by actor Mohanlal, Minister V. Sivankutty and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan.

Kannur thus became the winner of the school arts festival after 23 years. Palakkad is leading in the higher secondary category. Kozhikode came second. Kannur and Thrissur came first and second in the high school category.

Among the schools, Alathur BSS Gurukulam HSS came first for the 13th time with 238 points, while Kidangannoor VG VHS came second, and Mananthavady MGM HSS came third. The overall championship in the Arabic Kalolsavam went to Erattupetta Muslim Girls HSS. The overall championship in the Sanskrit Kalolsavam went to Idukki Nariyampara MMHSS. It is the education department that deserves to be happy and proud of the winners who participated in each competition. The education department proved its mettle in conducting the Kalolsavam in an orderly manner without complaints. Despite the meticulous arrangements of the event, appeals, disputes and allegations took centre stage this year too.

Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who was at the forefront of the preparation, deserves all praise for maintaining the reputation of Asia’s largest arts festival. Sivankutty’s experience organising school sports events on the model of the Olympics came in handy here too. He was able to take humane decisions while standing on the fringes of laws and regulations, and even received praise from the Leader of the Opposition.

Ministers, public representatives, government officials, police and fire force officials from Thrissur worked tirelessly to ensure that the event sailed smoothly without any roadblocks. The participation of the people of Thrissur, who cherished the art festival like a Pooram, is also commendable.

The Education Minister's idea about establishing an arts school on the model of a sports school in the state is a great idea to begin with. Art education is a costly affair that drains the pockets of parents these days. Introduction of a dedicated arts school could end the issue and even help talented students from financially struggling families to make a mark.

“Defeat is a step towards success; competing is important. May our children fly to the paths of tomorrow's success without being deterred by defeats. Congratulations to everyone who was a part of the art festival as a competitor, supporter, organizer and audience”, remarked Malayalam superstar Mohanlal at the closing ceremony of the arts festival in Thrissur.