No place for masks
Vendors of pollution masks often make a killing at the dusty venues of the school arts festivals. But, with most of the ground at the Malabar Christian College Ground covered, the business does not seem to be as good in previous years. “I had sold 100 masks in an hour before the covers came up,” says P. Unnikrishnan, a painter who doubles up as vendor of masks during the festival. “After that though, my sales have dipped drastically,” he says.
Policing and more
For the police, it is not just traffic and crowd management at the festival venue. The Kerala Police Association, the Kerala Police Officers’ Association (KPOA), and the Kozhikode City Police Employees’ Cooperative Society have teamed up to provide water (with karingali mix) till 6 p.m. And then, it is the invigorating ginger coffee ( chukku kaapi ) till the end of the show at the Malabar Christian College, the main venue. “The funds have been provided by the cooperative society,” says sub-inspector and KPOA Kozhikode district secretary P.K. Balasubramanian. “We serve 10,000 litres of drinking water and at least 2,500 cups of coffee a day,” he says.
Tech trouble
Dependence on technology proved embarrassing for a contestant at a Bharathanayam performance at the Malabar Christian College.
When the CD stopped playing midway during the high school girls event, the contestant had to the leave the stage for a while. “This hits one’s confidence, even if given another chance to perform,” says Bharathanatyam guru N.V. Krishnan Payyanur. “An accompanying team of musicians on stage is the best option, as was the practice earlier,” he adds.
Long wait
Thousands of people who had gathered at Zamorin’s SS Ground to watch the Oppana had to wait for hours. The competition in the higher secondary school (HSS) was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., but Kerala Nadanam (HSS Girls) had as many as 20 appeal entries. That meant Oppana could begin only late in the night. Among those getting impatient was K.K. Saifunnissa, councillor from Arakkinar.
Where goes the jury
Panel members of the ‘audience jury’ had taken their seats well before the drama competition, a festival crowd-puller, at the Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan HSS Ground. The ‘audience jury’ is a newly introduced idea under the Cultural Initiative Collective to improve the quality of judging. After a few plays were over, the audience jury members, including some film actors, disappeared from their seats to apparently take a short break. Someone from the audience pointed towards a crowd gathering under a tree some distance away from the stage. One of the jury members was seen talking to a television channel.
A bit of dust
The Fire and Rescue Service team, which camps at festival venues, are always prepared to meet unexpected challenges. They but had a different task this time, at two venues. The team had to use the magic wand, the hose, to solve the matter.
