THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when judges at youth festivals are being viewed with a shred of suspicion over the process of abjudication, they have come out with qualms of their own about the over-zealous parents and teachers vying to ensure a prize for their ward at any cost.
The judges- all from Kozhikode- of the controversial folk dance competition in HSS category told ‘Express’ about the constant pressure they had to undergo during youth festivals.
“We are told about the venue only a few minutes before the competition starts. So we have no prior idea about who the participants are,” said Vysakh, one of the judge.
The marks were awarded individually and the results were announced by tallying the final results.
“The judges are not allowed to share the scores with each other before giving the mark sheet. We also make our remarks for each student,” said another judge Sreejil. The judges were briefed by Vigilance officials about their code of conduct at the venue. Vysakh also said that the audience also shouts threats demanding more marks for a particular performer. Liji a dance teacher and a judge the obsession to come first was mainly due to the grace marks that come along with it.