THRISSUR: Colourful procession through the Swaraj Round marked the beginning of the 64th Kerala State School Arts Festival on Tuesday, with the participation of ministers, elected representatives, students, teachers and organising committee.
The Gold Cup which will be awarded to the winners of the festival took a round of the schools in all constituencies of Thrissur district and reached Sakthan Ground around 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Education Minister V Sivankutty, Revenue Minister K Rajan, Director of General Education Umesh N S K, District Collector Arjun Pandian, Mayor Niji Justin, among others, received the cup and proceeded to the CMS School where hundreds of students from various schools were eagerly waiting.
“We are all excited to be a part of the school arts festival. We wanted to experience the festival in its full energy. Among the performances, we love drama, group dance and mime,” said a group of children who were part of the procession.
The procession, with a huge participation of students from various schools — dressed in traditional attire and costumes of art forms like Kerala Nadanam, Mohiniyattam — commenced around 5pm. The MLAs also joined the procession which was well received in the Swaraj Round.
Education Minister V Sivankutty visited each venue and reviewed the final arrangements on Tuesday. “The arrangements are all set for the arts festival this year and it would be a wonderful experience for all. All aspects, from the Kalavara to stage management, were reviewed,” said Sivankutty. He added that all the accommodation facilities were in good condition, ensuring cleanliness of toilets in such facilities.
Kalotsava ‘Kalavara’ all set to serve feast to little artists
Sivankutty on Tuesday inaugurated the kalavara, the mega kitchen where vegetables and other commodities for serving feast to the participants and supporting staff during the arts festival are stored. Three meals would be served along with snacks and tea daily. “Every day, we will prepare the feast with 12 dishes and payasam. For breakfast, we are planning idli, puttu, upma and other south Indian items. It is definitely a moment of joy to serve food to the children,” Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboothiri, the chef in-charge of the kalotsavam said.