KANNUR: Gifting a bunch of talented youths to the state, curtains will come down on the 57th State School Kalolsavam here on Sunday.
With only a few hours left for the festival to conclude, Palakkad and Kozhikode are fighting neck and neck for the gold cup, with 884 and 881 points respectively. Kannur and Thrissur are closely behind with 880 and 867 points each, followed by Malappuram (857).
A notable shift in the district-wise points tally is the rise of Malappuram to among the first five positions.
Meanwhile, this year’s event has set a new record in the the number of appeals, with the fist day itself witnessing more than 300 appeals. By the end of the second day, the number of appeals was at an all-time high, and the trend continued to reach 1,286 on Saturday.
The Kannur event is the first School Kalolsavam at which the judging panel is put under Vigilance scanner, following fixing allegations. The Vigilance has ordered a quick verification into an allegation by a contestant that results of the Kuchipudi competition in the ‘Girls High School’ category was fixed.
This year’s festival also stood out for its eco-friendly conduct, with all the venues strictly following the ‘green protocol’ to ensure zero plastic use.
Though a hartal called by a political party caused inconvenience to contestants and those who accompany them, it did not affect the smooth conduct of the festival.
Perhaps, this year’s festival would be the last one to follow the existing manual. The Education Department has initiated steps to revise the manual so as to make the festival flawless from next year. Appeals and grace marks are likely to be abolished from next year.
Director of Public Instruction K V Mohankumar said talks were being held with the stakeholders on revising the manual.