Minister for Local Self-Government K.T. Jaleel has appealed to the youth to break the silence and intervene in matters that challenge the secular values of our country.
“Youth festivals are not mere venues that introduce a world beyond academics to the students, rather they inculcate in them a sense of culture, tolerance and humanity. These are the platforms where new ideas and messages are born,” he said while inaugurating the five-day Kerala University Youth Festival that got under way here on Tuesday.
He added that it’s not just the performers that make an arts fete, “in the broader sense of the word, arts enthusiasts are also artists. Humanity stems from an artistic mind, especially in a pluralistic country like India. The audience who throng different venues are an integral part of the fete.”
The highlight of the inaugural ceremony was the presence of the Poomaram team that included director Abrid Shine, actor Nita Pillai and singer-composer Faisal Razi. “My film tries to portray the nostalgia and excitement of youth festivals and it also features an array of festival winners,” said Abrid Shine. Former MP K.N Balagopalan presided over the function while Kerala Youth Commission chairperson Chintha Jerome, actor Priyanka and composer Jubair Muhammed were also present.
As many as 5,000 students representing over 250 colleges affiliated to the Kerala University will participate in competitions to be held in nine venues. The main venue of the festival will be ONV Nagar at Sree Narayana College. Other eight venues named after Madavoor Vasudevan, V. Sambasivan, K.P. Appan, G. Devarajan, O. Madhavan, Kakanadan, Jayapala Panikkar and Bharat Murali are at Fatima Mata National College, Sree Narayana College for Women, TKM Arts College, Sree Narayana Guru Law College, Fatima Memorial Training College and the Karbala Trust Hall.
The university union has also paid a tribute to Gauri Lankesh as the festival media centre at S.N. College is named after the late journalist.
