The festive fervour of Onam was in the air as 50 teams vied with each other to design the best floral carpet at the 10th edition of The Hindu-MetroPlus Pookkalam Contest 2017, powered by Chungath Jewellery, at the Government College for Women here on Saturday.
Vibrant Pookkalams, each with a distinct style and colour pattern, were laid out at the college auditorium. Among the 250 participants in the two-and-a-half-hour-long contest were debutants as well as veterans who had turned up for the sixth time for the coveted prize.
The team led by B.S. Amrita and comprising Mirash, L. Marsha, V.S. Shalini and G.J. Adithya emerged the winners. Amrita said they were lucky in their second attempt, after having participated in the previous edition. The team planned extensively prior to the contest. “We will return the next year to defend our prize,” said Amrita. They won a cash prize of ₹20,000 and gifts worth ₹10,000.
The second prize went to Suryodhayam, which was captained by by N. Kohila and included Poornima, Devisaro, Santhikumar and Shobha Sivakumar. They got a cash prize of ₹12,500 and gifts worth ₹10,000. Team ICCONS, led by G. Divya, and comprising V.S. Shanthi, A.K. Aswathy, Dhanalekshmi and Remya Nair, bagged the third position and won a prize of ₹7,500 and gifts worth ₹10,000.
Consolation prizes which included ₹1,500 and gifts worth ₹1,000 each were presented to Team Pradeeksha, Team Kalyani, Team Pranavam, Team Minshiv and Team Blue Lotus. All the participating teams were given ₹750 and gifts worth ₹1,000 each towards expenses for flower procurement. There were also prizes for the team and individuals who turned up in the best traditional attire. Highness School of Music team led by K.S. Lekshmi won a prize of 5 grams of gold in this category. A.K. Aswathy of Team ICCONS and Arun of Team Empower won 1 gram of gold each after being adjudged the best traditionally dressed male and female participants.
Sheila James, designer and proprietress of Czarina Boutique, adjudged the winners. Singer Reshma Ragavendran enthralled the participants with hit songs.
Inaugurating the valedictory session and giving away the prizes, Kerala Tourism Director P. Bala Kiran said Pookkalams remained relevant as they ushered in the festive spirit. He added that The Hindu has played a crucial role in shaping the careers of many civil servants, including himself.
Earlier, formally launching the competition, actor Maniyanpilla Raju reminisced his childhood days when he used to steal flowers and assist his sisters in preparing the Pookkalam to mark Onam.
K.K. Joshy, Senior General Manager (Advertisement – Kerala), The Hindu , said that Pookkalam contests organised by The Hindu-MetroPlus in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode received overwhelming response. The objective of the event was to provide people with a platform to express their artistic skills and also to join the celebrations of Keralites during the festive season. Jury chairman Ajaya Kumar and N. Harikumar, Senior Manager (Advt), The Hindu , spoke.
Powered by Chungath Jewellery, the competition had Poabs Supreme Tea, Sprinkle Salt and Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation Ltd as the Associate Sponsors, MediaOne as the TV Partner, Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd., Horticorp, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, Dhathri and Gonexa Premium Sleep Series as Gift Sponsors and Milma and the Refreshment Partner.
