With huge crowds thronging most of the venues, the 55{+t}{+h}State School Arts Festival came alive on Friday. There was much for the art-loving public to choose from on day-two of this festival.
Bharatanatyam has traditionally been one of the most-popular events of the festival and quite a big crowd was there at the Malabar Christian College HSS Ground to watch the competition in the high school (HS) girls category.
With as many as 35 students coming with successful appeals from various districts, the event went on way past the schedule.
But, the quality was not as high as one would have expected at this level, though. “It is disappointing to see very few of the students opting to do traditional ‘varnam’ these days,” said Kalamandalam Sumangala, a city-based dance teacher. “These girls do not seem to be properly taught,” she said.
The day also saw a large number of participants competing in Mohiniyattom and Kerala Nadanam as well. That meant, Oppana, also a popular event, could begin several hours behind the schedule.
A favourite
Drama too has been a great favourite with the festival audience. So, it was hardly surprising to see a full-house at Zamorin’s HSS for the competition in the HS section.
The Town Hall was packed too, for the light music (HSS) event. Once again, the girls stole the show; most of them were impressive, and the run-away winner V.K. Sukanya holds a lot of promise.
Folk song, an event that became popular right from its debut three years ago in Malappuram, also charmed the music-lovers at the Town Hall. The day also saw competitions in Chendamelam, Panchavadyam, Chakyarkoothu, Kolkali, Kathakali, and Classical Music.
It was a pretty busy day for the 1,500-odd teachers at the massive dining hall on the Christian College campus. “We served lunch for more than 20,000,” said P.K. Satheesh, the food committee convener. “And we served them till 4 p.m.,” he said.
