The District School Art Festival got off to a rousing start at Attingal on Tuesday with some major competitions headlining the action on Day 1.
Thiruvathira, Mohiniyattam, Mappilapattu, light music, clarinet, and instrumental music competitions brought alive various venues in Attingal such as Government Boys Higher Secondary School (HSS), Government Girls HSS, Town Upper Primary (UP) School, and the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).
Speaker A.N. Shamseer was to inaugurate the festival but he could not make it. Attingal MLA, O.S. Ambika then did the honours. Festival welcome committee chairperson S. Kumari presided.
Though events at other venues began in time, the Thiruvathira contest for UP students at the main venue got delayed owing to the inaugural function. The HSS clarinet-bugle results were the first to be announced at the festival.
Also, an argument broke out between teachers in the morning itself. The registration committee insisted that if the registration kits were to be handed over, assistant education officers (AEOs) should remit the money for each student. This came to ₹20 for a student. The Deputy Director of Education officer had reportedly issued instructions that kits be given only if the money was remitted. The kits contains participation card, registration slip, and food coupon. Without the participation card, students cannot compete in events. Only after sub-district conveners raised an objection did the DDE intervene and address the problems.
Higher secondary students from various teams contesting in the Thiruvathira event collapsed. Some vomited at the venue, while others collapsed as soon as they had finished their performance and walked off stage. While some students needed only first aid, others were taken to hospital. Failure to drink or eat while waiting their turn with make-up on could have led to the students collapsing, health teams said.
The crowds at the venue for the Kathakali contests were sparse. Kathakali and Kathakali Sangeetham were held at Government Girls HSS, but other than the contestants, their families, and teachers, there were few people in the audience. Even the number of contestants was fewer – in HS boys two and in HS girls six, while in HSS boys there were only three contestants.
Group dance, English skit, and Hindi and Malayalam elocution were the other events scheduled for the day.
More than 6,400 students are participating in 307 events at 14 venues at the four-day festival.
