KOCHI: The third day of the Ernakulam Revenue District School Youth Festival on Thursday witnessed a neck-and-neck race between North Paravur and Aluva for the top position.
When the results were computed at 10 p.m., it was the host North Paravur that held a slight lead with 652 points, while Aluva was snapping at its heels with 622 points. Ernakulam is placed third with 606 points.
In the Upper Primary Section, North Paravur led the tally with 142 points, closely followed by Perumbavoor with 132 points. In the High School segment, Ernakulam led the show by 242 points, while Aluva scored 235 points. In the Higher Secondary category, North Paravur led with 302 points, and Aluva trailed by 23 points.
In the general category, DD Sabha High Karimpadam with 66 points was leading in the High School section, while Fathima Girls HS Fort Kochi (48 points) topped the Upper Primary category. SNMHSS Moothakunnam, with 90 points, was much ahead of the other contenders in the Higher Secondary category.
In the Sanskrit festival, Aluva stayed on top with 66 points, while Angamaly trailed behind by just one point. In the High School section, Perumbavoor and Angamaly together shared the honours with 70 points each.
In the Arabic segment, Vypeen (65) and Perumbavoor (91) led the Upper Primary and High School sections respectively.
Earlier in the morning, the main venue witnessed a protest over the alleged negligence by organisers resulting in contestants performing with incomplete make-up in Kathakali competition for the Higher Secondary category. The protesters, led by artistes Kalamandalam Sreekumar and S. Jayasree, accused the organisers of not allotting the mandatory four hours required for completing the make-up.
Meanwhile, most competitions were held in an electric atmosphere as people turned up in large numbers. The venues that hosted events like drama and classical dances witnessed a pleasant turnout, while a big and enthusiastic crowd enjoyed performances of ‘Vanchipattu’ and ‘Duffmuttu’.
