THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thousands of children stepped into the world of letters on Vijayadashami as part of Vidyarambham ceremonies held across the city. Temples and cultural centres in the capital were filled with families who gathered to mark the initiation into learning.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among the prominent personalities who initiated children to the world of letters in the capital. Malayalam letters were written on rice, while English letters were written on paper. Words such as kindness, love, and family titles were also written to instill core values in the young minds.
About 800 children took part in the Vidyarambham ceremony at Attukal Bhagavathy temple. The ritual was led by head priest V Muraleedharan Namboothiri along with assistant priests T K Easwaran Namboothiri and U M Narayanan Namboothiri.
Several prominent figures, including T G Ramachandran Pillai and former Chief Secretary V P Joy, were present at the Thunchan Memorial in Iranimuttom to guide children in their first writing. Art and music sessions were also held, with professors and artists helping children explore their talents.
At Jawahar Balabhavan, MLA V K Prasanth guided children through their first writing, while MLA Kadakampally Surendran led the Vidyarambham ceremony at the Thycaud Child Welfare Committee, where 13 children participated.
The children were treated to sweets such as payasam, chocolates and other treats. Four infants were given their first solid food in a separate ceremony led by Child Welfare Committee General Secretary G L Arun Gopi.
Over a thousand children participated in the first letter ceremony at the Vettukad Madre de Deus Church, with Union Minister Suresh Gopi as the chief guest. The event was led by parish vicar Y M Edison. At the Shankhumukham Devi temple, priest S M Kesavan Namboothiri guided the children.
Around 100 children participated in the ritual, marking the start of their educational journey in the Santhigiri Ashram’s prayer hall at Pothencode. General Secretary Swami Gururatnam Jnana Thapasvi presided over the Vidyarambham ceremony.
At the Karikkakom Chamundi temple, the Vidyarambham ceremony was led by the temple priest Sreejesh Narayanan Namboothiri, assistant priest E Jayarajan Namboothiri, retired Justice K P Balachandran, P Venugopalan, Achyut Shankar S Nair, and Lakshmi Das.
At the Arappura Eswari Amman Saraswati temple in Vattiyoorkavu, former Principal Secretary T K A Nair and Ezhamattur Rajaraja Varma served as the teachers. At the Chattambi Swami Birthplace Temple under the Taluk NSS Union in Kannammoola, Aravind Menon guided children in writing.
At Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan, the Vidyarambham ceremony was led by Vizhinjam International Seaport MD Divya S Iyer, architect G Shankar, actor Joby, and G S Pradeep.
At Lulu Mall and Gandhibhavan in Pathanapuram, Lulu Akshararam was organised, where children from the Manjathodu, Plappally, and Attathode tribal hamlets in the Sabarimala forest area were initiated into learning. T K A Nair, former High Court Justice M R Hariharan Nair, and others led the ceremony.
Children also began their learning journey at the Vayalvaram Veedu, where Sree Narayana Guru had written his first letters.However, leading temple like Sree Chenthitta Devi did not have any programme.
Large crowds were seen at temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board, where Vidyarambham ceremonies were held. Children were introduced to letters at Aryasala Devi Temple, and Chettikulangara Devi Temple, with enthusiastic participation from families and devotees.
