THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The rally held in the city as part of the Children’s Day celebrations turned out to be a colourful affair with children decked in vibrant costumes holding ribbons, hula hoops and pom-poms, marching to the beats of the drum. Around 20,000 students from 72 schools across the state participated in the rally holding placards with messages related to ‘Renaissance for Rebuild Kerala’, this year’s theme.
Dressed as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Bharat Matha, APJ Abdul Kalam, tiny tots from across the state came together to celebrate and affirm their rights. Students’ representatives led the rally on the jeep waving to the public, followed by bands from various schools, police, National Cadet Corps, Student Police Cadets and National Social Service. The rally extended from the museum premises to the Kanakakkunnu Palace grounds where other cultural programmes of the children were held.
Organised by the state government and the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW), the cultural programmes which included recitation, group dance, bharatanatyam and mohiniyattam enthralled the audience gathered at the Nishagandhi auditorium. The scintillating group dance performance of Carmel Girls Higher Secondary School received much appreciation from the audience. Dressed in hues of red, the seven-member team students from Carmel School who won first place in a group dance at the state arts festival ‘Varnolsavam’. Their energetic dance performance based on the theme of Sita, a central figure in the Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’.
The dance group leaders, Devananda S and Pavithra AP from Carmel school were much excited to perform in the Children’s Day festival. They said: “Although we have been learning dance, we were nervous to participate in front of such a large audience for the first time. Despite the competitions were being held at the state level, we were able to win.”
Children’s Prime Minister Amrithasree V Pillai, President Thameen Ihsa, Speaker Rosna Joseph and other kids’ representatives such as Akhshith K Ajith, Nanma S, Liyos M V and Aleena A P also participated in the rally. Thameen said: “It was a great experience to lead the rally where children from across the state participated.We should remember that the atrocities against children are still on the rise and it’s time to stand for our rights.” “The event has been successful with the participation of students from across the state which is a first-of-its-kind. Our aim is to encourage children and give them a platform to showcase their talents,” said Deepak SP, general secretary, KSCCW.
Students’ safety compromised
The children who participated in the rally had to walk on the road without any safety with vehicles passing by. Usually, roads are blocked during the entry of VIP vehicles but the same did not take place during the rally. Police officers were seen alerting children to tread carefully on the roads.