
KOCHI: What better than a student ushering in the new school year. For the first time in its history, a poem written by a pupil has been selected as the theme song of the Praveshanotsavam, which celebrates the beginning of a new academic season. The song, which captures the essence of Kerala, has resonated with listeners and gone viral. The verse of 15-year-old Bhadra Hari has been put to music and and sung by music director and singer Alphons Joseph.
Speaking to TNIE, Bhadra, who completed her Class X from SVVHSS Thamarakudi, in Kottarakkara, with an A+ in all subjects, says, “The department had last year issued an advertisement inviting poems from students with the Praveshanotsavam as the theme. It caught my attention, and I decided to send an entry.”
Bhadra spent more than two days writing the poem. “Well, it is not easy to come up with the lines even though you have an idea and the imagination. I would scribble on my note pad, especially at night. Very slowly, the lyrics took shape. I mailed it to the address provided by the department and that was it,” the youngster says.
She didn’t hear anything from the department after that. “However, the other day I was contacted by the private secretary of General Education Minister V Sivankutty. I was informed that the department had selected my poem as the theme song for Praveshanotsavam 2025-26. It was the happiest day of my life. I felt recognised as a poet even though I have won ‘A’ grade in the School Kalolsavam twice,” says Bhadra, who has opted for the humanities stream for her Plus One.
Speaking about the poem, she says, “The first memory that comes to a Malayali’s mind when they think about school reopening is the monsoon. Come June, the sky turns grey and rain pours in copious amounts. On reopening day, children can be spotted holding umbrellas of different colours or wearing colourful raincoats and dodging puddles on the roads as they make their way to school. So, the first thing that I inculcated was the rain. Then I tried to highlight the education sector in the state and the achievements and progress made by Kerala in the sciences, the arts, and other fields.” Bhadra’s song also cautions students against drug use.
“I have also tried to weave in the glory of state’s agricultural practices,” she adds. Bhadra first began writing poems when she was in Class V and has to date written more than 30. She has also published a collection of her poems, titled ‘Dhanumasa Pournami’. The book was released last year at her school. Most of the poems in the collection talk about the environment.
Bhadra has been invited as a special guest to the statewide Praveshanotsavam, which will be held at Kalavoor Government HSS on June 2. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event.