THRISSUR: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday slammed attempts by certain forces to destroy the peace and happiness in society in the name of religion and called for employing art as a weapon against such efforts.
"We have heard about the attacks on Christmas carol processions in various parts of the country.
Communal forces try to spread hatred and divide people on the basis of religion. It has reached a stage where even movie characters cannot be named Sita or Janaki. Art should be used as a weapon against such elements that destroy the peace and joy in society,” he said inaugurating the 64th State School Kalolsavam.
“This generation of young artists should be ambassadors of our social and cultural amalgamation. Kerala is a land where children of all communities perform kathakali, oppana, mappilapattu and margamkali together on the same stage. This is an extension of the great culture of this land and we are duty-bound to uphold it,” he said.
Noting that the first kalolsavam was held in 1956 in Ernankulam, the CM also detailed the history of the festival.
“The first arts festival was held at the SRV Girls High School. Around 200 students from various parts of the state participated in the one-day event. Later it paved the way to sub-district, district and state festivals. In 1975, the kalolsavam first included art forms such as kathakali, mohiniyattam, classical music and aksharalokam. The State School Kalolsavam came into being in 2009. Over a period of 70 years, this annual event has witnessed tremendous changes. From just 200 participants in 1956, we have grown to over 14,000 participants,” he said.
Mentioning that art is a skill that only humans possess, the Chief Minister said that it makes the performer and viewer happy at the same time.
"Artists create happiness. While drawing artists create images and spread happiness, singers create happiness through their voices. However, the ultimate aim is to throw light upon the burning issues of people's lives. Everyone should understand the importance of art from the historical role it played," he said.
Union minister of state Suresh Gopi extended all support for the festival. “As an artist, I feel immensely blessed to be on this stage for the inaugural ceremony and I am grateful for the voters who chose me who made this possible,” he said.
Riya Shibu, who gained attention with her role in the recently released Malayalam movie Sarvam Maya, was the chief guest. “As a child, I lacked self confidence. But as I matured, I understood that my bad days don’t define me. To the many participants here I say: Never let one bad performance define you. Keep polishing your skills,” she said.