The Oppana competition in higher secondary category pulled large crowds on Tuesday afternoon as Plus one and Plus Two girls from across the State fought it out to prove their dominance in the most glittering Mapila art.
Centred around an ornate bride in glittering bright dress, the Oppana performance proved to be yet another favorite of Kannur crowds.
Although the bride in constant smiling pose is invariably the cynosure, the nine others of the Oppana team deserve praise for leading the show.
Many in the audience could easily associate themselves with the Mapila art as the students swung to several known mailanchi tunes. Three out of the ten performers sang the Oppana song when six others clapped and played around the beaming bride.
“Singing for Oppana is not at all easy,” said middle-aged Maimoona, a housewife from Kannur, pinpointing a mistake committed by a Pathanamthitta school team, which otherwise performed well. The non-stop rendering of the Oppana song in constant shifts of tunes and
tones is a challenge indeed for most teams.
Although lilting to ear and pleasing to eye, the traditional Mapila dress of white Kachi and long-sleeve blouse is not all that appealing to everyone.
“This event will be more attractive in colourful dress. None plays Oppana in Kachi and blouse on marriage eve these days. If the dress is a rule, then it has made the event less attractive,” said N.P. Rukhiya, a retired Urdu teacher from Kozhikode.
