KOCHI: “Even after my studies I will stick on to music,” said Avani Ajay, a Class XI student of Nirmala HSS, Aluva, who retained the first position for veena competition in the high school category at the revenue district school festival on Thursday. It has been more than six years since she has been learning the veena, said Preetha Ajay, her mother.
Always the youth festival stages are filled with colours and each student takes part not for grace marks, but for the sake of art. “Though the participants are less compared to last year, the students and parents here prove things are getting back to normal in the state. It is a great boon for the art lovers in the state,” said Preetha.
More than 90 per cent of the children who take part in these festivals sacrifice their love for art when they become older or when realities hit them in life.Students are forced to choose studies to art as they become older.
“SSCLC exams are the first hurdle children face when they come to high school and then it goes on and on. During her tenth exams, we thought of dropping veena classes, but she managed to take both of them forward,” said Sudha Kumari, who was accompanying her daughter.