The five-day youth festival of the Mahatma Gandhi University Union, ‘Sargodayam-2012’, will be held in Thiruvalla from February 29 to March 4.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Mathew T. Thomas, MLA, reception committee chairman and R. Manu, general convener, said as many as 7,000 students from 350 colleges affiliated to the university would take part in the annual cultural event.
According to them, cultural contests in music, dance, literature and arts will be held at six different venues in the town. The university union is organising its annual cultural event in Thiruvalla after a gap of 18 years, they said.
Mr Manu said the five venues have been named after Dr Geevarghese Mar Osthathios (Municipal Stadium), Dr Sukumar Azhikode (Public Stadium), Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan (Believers’ Church Youth Centre), Kannassa Poets (Titus-II Teachers’ Training College), Artist C.K. Raa (Thiruvalla YMCA Hall) and John Abraham (Mar Thoma College).
He said as many as 138 colleges have registered their names for the youth fete as on Monday afternoon.
Proclamation rallies
Mr Manu said the organising committee would launch a proclamation rally, spreading the message of youth festival at various colleges, panchayats and municipalities in the district from February 22 to 25.
The proclamation rally will be accorded rousing receptions by the students as well as teachers and non-teaching staff on its arrival at various college campuses, he said.
Mr Raju Abraham, MLA, will flag off the rally from the Carmel Engineering College at Ranni-Perinad on Wednesday forenoon which will be concluded at the Catholicate College in Pathanamthtitta, after visiting various colleges, later, in the afternoon.
The rally that begins from the Padayani village at Kadammanitta will be flagged off by the Kadammanitta Padayani Village secretary, V.K. Purushothaman Pillai on February Thursday forenoon. The rally will conclude at the Nazreth College o Pharmacy at Othera near Eraviperoor, later, in the afternoon.
Ms Lynda Thomas Vanchippalam, Thiruvalla municipal chairperson, will flag off the rally from Mar Thoma College on the third day on Friday to conclude at the Devaswom Board Pampa College at Parumala, later, in the afternoon.
The rally that begins from Kadapra and culminate at Kunnamthanam on the fourth day on Saturday will cover all the panchayat and the municipal headquarters in Thiruvalla taluk.
Mr Manu said `star’ lights would be lit at all Government offices, shops and other business establishments as part of the publicity campaign on Friday. The colleges in Thiruvalla taluk will organise separate proclamation rallies on February 27, he added.
Cultural procession
A cultural procession will be held as a prelude to the inaugural ceremony on February 29 afternoon. The cultural procession will begin from the Mar Thoma College grounds at 2 pm to culminate at the municipal grounds, later.
The inaugural ceremony would be held at 4.30 pm and cultural contests will begin with the Thiruvathirakali, later.
The five-day youth fete will come to a close with the Kathakali contest on March 4.
The Health Minister, Adoor Prakash, has launched the website of the youth festival (www.mgyouthfest2012.com) and the rules and regulations of the event have already been uploaded on the website, said Mr Manu.
Live webcasting of various major events would be another speciality of Sargodaya-2012, said Mr Manu.
Mr Prakashbabu, publicity committee chairman; Prof Rajashekharan Pillai, programme committee chairman and Prof. A.K. Sreekumar, souvenir committee chairman, were also present.
