Kuchipudi is a delightful form of dance. It is one of India’s most ancient forms of art with a history of several centuries. If it has its fans in Kerala, far away from its place of origin, Andhra, the Kerala School Kalolsavam could take a lot of credit.
It is doubtful whether even in Andhra there would be such massive crowds that Kuchipudi attracted on the third day of the State School Festival. The competition was in the HSS Girls section.
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Changing with time
On view was some refreshing variety, too. Old-timers at the School Festival might remember those days when Kuchipudi meant just the dancers doing Tharangam with a plate beneath their feet and a pot on their head. Now you would come across beautiful compositions like Alokaye Sri Balakrishna..., which one of the participants performed in the contest.
Kuchipudi, though, was only one of the many events that attracted big crowds. Events like Margamkali (HSS), Oppana (HSS), Chavittu Natakam (HSS) and Thiruvathirakali (HS) also proved pretty popular.
Also read | Kerala School Kalolsavam 2023: In step with Margamkali
For the second day in a row, girls’ Light Music turned out to be a big hit at the St. Michael’s GHSS. The competition was of rather good quality, too. The HSS girls lived up to the rich tradition of the event.
Competitions were also held in Bharatanatyam, Thullal, Kerala Natanam, Vattappattu, Arabana Muttu, English Skit, Yakshaganam, Kathakali, Flute Kathaprasangam and Classical Music.
Race for the Gold Cup
In the race for the Gold Cup, Kannur is still on top of the table, with 673 points (at the time of writing this report). Defending champion Palakkad is in the second place with 669 points, along with host Kozhikode.
Thrissur is on 641 points, followed by Ernakulam (632), Malappuram (624), Kollam (618) and Alappuzha 599.
With two days and several events still to go, the race for the overall title could get closer.
