It is the fourth time Kannur is hosting the Kerala State School Arts Festival since 1957 when the State-level fete for students was started.
As the stage is now set here on Monday for the start of the 57th edition, the focus of the district administration and civic establishment serving as hosts is to give the event a local imprint. A huge public participation from across the State is also anticipated for the festival.
Civic and administrative facilities have been spruced up for the festivities associated with the cultural event. Apart from providing amenities for the convenience of the participants and others visiting the city, the organisers want the event to be a festival with a marked difference.
“Our efforts are to make this school arts festival, coming after a gap of 10 years, a memorable event,” said Ports Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran , organising committee chairman. He told The Hindu that the efforts of the organisers was to hold a complaints-free event and to highlight the art forms of the district.
The Minister received the first batch of participants from the Kozhikode district in the afternoon. An ambitious effort of the organisers is to ensure that the festival is held in compliance with green protocol. The district administration is giving cloth bags to each participant to drive home the message of environment-friendliness and also the district’s legacy of looms.
The district administration has also developed a convenience app for the people. The app has an extensive list of contact numbers, including 10 autorikshaw drivers, who could be called up directly from the app. The app also gives name, designation and phone number of one police and one civil officer posted at each venue.
“The focus is on organising the event in an environment-friendly manner and providing easy communication access to the people arriving here for the festival,” District Collector Mir Mohammed Ali said. Efforts were under way to hold the event with a Kannur stamp on it, he said.
It was in 1982 that Kannur first hosted 22nd school arts fete. Later, it was the host to its 35th edition in 1995 and 47th edition in 2007. The Kannur Corporation has also pooled in its efforts to make sure that there is no dearth of facilities for the participants and others reaching here for the festival.
“We have opened a round-the-clock help desk at the Corporation office to provide all assistance to people arriving here during the festival,” said Mayor E.P. Latha.
The inaugural function will be preceded by a procession and pageantry showcasing the district’s cultural legacy, including its folklore tradition.
The reception song to be sung by 57 music teachers from the district will also highlight the cultural heritage of the district.
