MUVATTUPUZHA: It was a sweet revenge for Aluva sub-district after last year’s shocking upset when they were upstaged by North Paravoor after nearly a decade-long reign. Aluva on Saturday wrested the title by securing 773 points in the 30th edition of Ernakulam Revenue school youth festival. Last year’s title winner, North Paravoor, had to be contend with the second spot with 748 points when the four-day-long cultural extravaganza came to an end.
Though North Paravoor and Aluva showcased a neck-and-neck fight for the past two days, the latter toppled last year’s winner when the results of the major events such as mohiniyattam and other competitions were announced by Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Ernakulam sub-district - which showcased a fighting spirit since the second day of the competition - was relegated to the third position with 747 points. Last year too, they had to be contend with the third place in the last minute.
It was a repeat of 2016 when Perumbavoor came fourth with 719 points. However, in the higher secondary category (HSS), Aluva sub-district failed to come on top as North Paravoor grabbed the top position with 348 points. Aluva could only score 346 points followed by Ernakulam and Tripunithura with 342 and 318 points respectively. Government HSS North Paravoor secured the top position with 128 points.
However, last year’s topper S N M HSS could only score 82 points. In the high school category, Aluva with 306 points came first followed by Ernakulam and North Paravoor with 278 and 274 points respectively. While Aluva clinched the title in the Sanskrit festival, Perumbavoor came first in Arabic fest.