The lockdown, it seems, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for residents of the Paravur block panchayat along the suburbs of Kochi, with the local body authorities determined to discover hitherto hidden talents among its residents.
The ‘Lockdown Family Fest’ being organised by the block panchayat in association with the artistes of the Department of Culture will run through the length of the lockdown. The event is promoted as an ‘easy way to be a star while staying at home.’
“The idea was conceived to address the boredom of people locked up inside their homes and to discover their hidden talents while facilitating bonding among family members. People can send video entries of their performances to two WhatsApp numbers, which will be uploaded on our official Facebook page from Monday,” said Yesudas Parappilly, block panchayat president.
It features contests for both individuals and families who can perform any art form not exceeding five minutes. The block panchayat, with a population of around 1.75 lakh spread over five panchayats, seems to have taken the contest quite seriously. “We have around 100 entries ranging from paintings to skits,” said Vishnu Maheedharan, an artiste deployed to the block by the Department of Culture. One entry will be accepted from each household while those pre-recorded using applications like Dubsmash and TikTok will be disqualified.
‘Likes’ too matter
The best five performances each from among the individual and family entries will be selected at the end of the lockdown by a jury though the number of likes received in the Facebook will also be a deciding factor. “Paravur being home to film actor Salim Kumar, we plan to request him to be a jury member,” said Mr. Parappilly.
