THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The university youth festival means a celebration of youngsters. From the start of practice to performing on stage, every moment is charged with excitement. The bustle in the green room, group rehearsals, laughter of friends, the crowd at the food stalls and back-to-back performances... After all this, one college emerges the overall winner.
The capital city is getting to witness all these scenes after a gap of four years with the start of the five-day Kerala University Youth Festival. The grand opening took place on Thursday, marking the beginning of vibrant days filled with music, dance, literature, et al.
The festival was inaugurated at the Kerala University Senate Hall by General Education Minister V Sivankutty. Actor Navya Nair was the chief guest. Before the inauguration, a cultural procession was taken out by the students’ union from the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, to the main venue at Senate Hall.
Over 5,000 students representing 250 educational institutions will participate in the festival that will feature 102 events held in eight venues, including the Government Women’s College, Vazhuthacaud, University College auditorium, Government Sanskrit College, Government Music College, Government Arts College, chemistry department at University College, and the Students Centre at PMG.
The inaugural day featured thiruvathira, mohiniyattam, vanchipaattu, kathakali, ghazal, and light music competitions. The union committee highlighted a surge in the participation of transgender individuals in the special category competition.
Sharada Thampi, co-founder of Kalaangan, a dance institute in Thiruvananthapuram, reminisces about her experiences at the Kerala Youth Festival in 1990.
“I used to participate in bharatanatyam, folk dance, Ottan thullal, and other group items. Students were from diverse financial backgrounds. So, the union members and students tirelessly work for funds. The unity was notable, and it was always an invaluable lesson for the future.”
In the late 1990s, the dance stages of the festival were graced by the presence of the two sisters now known as Neelamana sisters — Dr Draupadi Praveen, an accomplished bharatanatyam dancer, and Dr Padmini Krishnan, who specialises in kuchipudi.
Padmini, who was crowned the Kalathilakam in 2000, says, “Today, dancers have numerous stages, but back then, the landscape was different. The school and university youth festivals were the main forums for us. We didn’t seek prizes; rather, we used the opportunity to showcase our talent.”
Playback singer and Carnatic musician B Arundhathi, a regular at the Kerala University youth festivals from 1978 to 1982, says: “During my time, there was only Kerala University. So, the victory of the Ambili Aravindan trophy was a significant achievement for colleges. The judges were personalities like M G Radhakrishnan, V Dakshinamoorthy and Vani Jairam. Also, winning a prize meant being featured on the front page of newspapers,” she says, with a nostalgic smile.