A single column news report in one corner of a page, days after the event. That was how major Malayalam newspapers covered the first State School Arts Festival held in Ernakulam in 1957.
Cut to the 61st edition in 2023 in Kozhikode. Around 1,200 mediapersons, including reporters, photographers, camerapersons and other technical staff from newspapers, news channels, and online portals, are covering the festival from around 9 a.m. till the day’s events get over in the night. This is apart from the numerous YouTubers and vloggers.
G. Anoop, who chronicled the history of the arts festival, says there was no buzz around the event during the first decade, when politicians did not intervene much and officials in the Department of Education ran the show. A marked change happened in the late 60s when C.H. Mohammed Koya became the Education Minister. It was then that newspapers started carrying multi-column news reports on the festival.
New art forms
Art forms such as Oppana, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi, which were confined to certain communities, were introduced as competition events in 1976, after R. Ramachandran Nair became the Director of Public Instruction. This brought new visual possibilities. Winners started getting prize money in subsequent years. After T.M. Jacob assumed charge as Education Minister in 1983, the scene changed further. Events became more glamorous with his active participation throughout the festival and newspapers devoted more space for it.
Golden cup for the winning district, titles such as Kalaprathibha for the highest scoring boy and Kalathilakam for the highest scoring girl were instituted during Jacob’s tenure.
Trend of appeals
From then on, newspapers became an inseparable part of the festival. With the increased exposure for winners, some of whom became film stars, playback singers, dancers, and classical musicians, the trend of appeals and an unhealthy competition among participants, teachers, and schools too reared its head. This prevailed throughout the 90s. By early 2000s, news channels started round-the-clock telecast, and at least some participants were seen eager to perform in front of the camera than on stage, says Mr. Anoop.
All newspapers are now coming up with full-page reports and pictures on the festival, with dozens of reporters and photographers capturing every worthwhile moment. They are also exploring new forms of storytelling. News channels and web portals too are in the game. Along with this, there is full-blown coverage on social media as well. Events are streamed through various online platforms by not only mediapersons, but anyone with a camera phone too. The festival, dubbed as the biggest cultural extravaganza of students in Asia, is thus reaching Malayalis across the globe as and when it is happening.
