CHENNAI: Maithri — the Festival of Friendship — was observed on the August 22 and August 23 on the premises of Chettinad Vidyashram. The cultural fiesta was envisaged by Meena Muthiah, the Kumara Rani of Chettinad.
It created a platform for students from different schools to come together in healthy competition and gave them an opportunity to celebrate the richness of their talents. Chief guests Ram, a national award winning director, Ashwin, an actor, Oviya and Nandita lighted the kuthuvilakku and inspired all participants with empowering words of wisdom.
Over 35 schools from all over Chennai participated. There were eloquent speakers, splendid singers, amazing dancers and experienced players who competed in various events and learnt new things in the process.
The first day of Maithri started on a melodious note as the first event was ‘Pitch Perfect’, followed by the flagged events namely Adzap, Channel Surfing, Shipwreck and Just-a-Minute. The second day kicked off with a dance event, ‘This Is It’. This was followed by a treat for the Gamers — a FIFA 14 tournament. Spin-A-Yarn, Treasure Hunt and Block and Tackle came within a blink of the eye. The final event of Maithri — ‘The Game of Thrones’ — attracted maximum attention and the winner took home the tag of ‘Mr Maithri’ and awards worth `3 lakh were given to the winners of different events in th e form of laptops, mobile phones and gift vouchers. The closing ceremony was graced by director Lakshmi Ramakrishnan with actor Amitash Pradhan, Viji Chandrashekar and the team of Nerungi Va Muthimidae.