MUVATTUPUZHA: Despite the organisers holding major events on day two of the Ernakulam Revenue Youth Festival, being held in Muvattupuzha, in a bid to attract a bigger audience, only a few spectators turned up to witness the competitions.Almost all the venues, including those hosting events in the drama, mimicry, group dance, Oppana, storytelling and mime categories, were deserted. Though the organisers had arranged a sufficient number of chairs, most of them were kept aside due to the poor turnout.
Only the parents of participants were seen at the venues.
“Compared to last year, the number of visitors is very less. Last year, spectators struggled to get a glimpse of events such as mimicry and drama, but that is not the case this year,” lamented a teacher who is coordinating the event.The unscientific arrangement of venues was cited as the main reason for the lack of spectators at the venues.
“How can we move from one venue to the other? Most of the venues are situated at a distance of around 1 km from each other. It is difficult for a person to run from one venue to the other. This is purely because of the lack of preparation by the organisers,” said Sathi Devi, a parent.Despite being in the heart of the city, the Town Hall venue was not used on day two, complained some spectators.“Most of the crowd-pulling events are performed at Nirmala School. If they had shifted some of the events to the Town Hall, it might have attracted a bigger audience. Transportation remains a big issue,” said a contestant.