Setting the venue at Holy Angels’ HSS pulsating to the rhythmic beats of vanchipattu, 25 teams rendered the centuries-old traditional art form in all its splendour. The venue echoed with songs laced with tradition and folklore. The participants decked up in traditional attire celebrated the art form at the vanchipattu competition in the HSS segment.
‘Kuchelavritham’ penned by Ramapurathu Warrier, ‘Santhanagopalam’ and ‘Bheeshma Parvam’ were rendered by most participants.
Of the 25 teams, 13 entered through appeal and interestingly, some among them bagged the first place as well as the second place, shared by three teams.
“Ours is an appeal entry and hence we are extremely proud to have got the first prize,” said a highly elated Praben P B of St Johns Model HSS, Nalanchira, the team leader of the group that won the first prize. The group of 10 were seen leaping into the air with ecstasy and hugging each other as soon as the results were out. They left the venue rendering verses from ‘Bhishma Parvam’ which fetched them the first place. The team performed the vanchipattu in Aranmula style and was on cloud nine as they could fetch laurels for Thiruvananthapuram.
As the majority stuck to Kuttanadan and Aranmula style of rendering the vanchipattu, a team led by Prayag P P of St Mary’s HSS, Edoor, stood out by performing the vanchipattu in the lesser and rarely used style called ‘vechupattu’ and bagged ‘A’ grade.
“I feel this is the first time that a team performed the vanchipattu in ‘vechupattu’ style at the state-level in the arts fest. People aren’t very familiar with this style and hence it is not performed much,” said Jayachandran Thakazhikaran whose students performed in the vechupattu style.
The second prize was shared by a team led by Vipin Vijayan T of St Thomas HSS Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta; Vishnu Vijayan of PHSS, Mezhuveli, Pathanamthitta and Kiran Venugopal of TRKHSS Vaniyamkulam, Palakkad. The team led by Gokul Krishna SHHSS, Dwaraka, Wayanad bagged the third prize.
