KOCHI: The week-long 21st Kerala State School Sports Meet, the biggest school sports event in the country, got off to a colourful start at the Maharaja’s College Stadium in Kochi on Monday.
The opening ceremony of the meet, touted as one modelled on the Olympics this time, was a mixture of the traditional and modern. The next seven days will see 24,000 athletes from schools across the state compete in around 35 events at 17 venues in Ernakulam district. Fifty students from the UAE will be competing in the U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories while 1,562 students with special needs will showcase their sporting talents at three venues.
The ceremony began with a torch rally that started from the Durbar Hall. Around 2,500 students took part in the rally that passed through Jos Junction and MG Road to reach the Maharaja’s College Stadium. Even as the torch rally got underway, a march-past comprising 3,500 students dressed in colourful jerseys embossed with the names of the districts they represent held the audience spellbound. Kottayam walked away with the prize for the best marching contingent.
As the march-past came to an end, the torchbearers entered the stadium. The torch was handed over to hockey star P R Sreejesh who, along with Sreelakshmi S, a special needs student from EMGHSS, Veli, in Fort Kochi, then lit the games cauldron.
The cultural programme, which was inaugurated by actor Mammootty, saw over 4,000 students lining up to showcase a mass PT display, callisthenics, aerobics, zumba, attachamayam, ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’, thiruvathira, puli kali, chenda melam, oppana, margamkali, kathakali and mohiniyattom. Tableaus enacting the Cochin Carnival gave the spectators a glimpse of the city’s cultural extravaganza.
Speaking on the occasion, Mammootty expressed his sorrow in not giving importance to sports. “After watching and feeling the energy pulsating from the students gathered at the ground, I feel sorry to have missed out on all this fun in my school days. I should have participated in sports instead of going after theatre and cultural events!” Mammootty said.