64th Kerala School Arts Festival (Kalolsavam) Begins Today In Thrissur
Thrissur: Kerala’s cultural capital is set to turn into a grand stage of art, music and tradition as the 64th Kerala State School Arts Festival begins today in Thrissur.
The five-day festival, one of the largest school-level cultural events in Asia, will see nearly 15,000 students from across the state competing in a wide range of artistic performances.
The festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 10 am at the main venue at Thekkinkadu Maidan, a site traditionally associated with major cultural gatherings in Thrissur. Competitions will be held at 25 different venues across the city, with Thekkinkadu Maidan serving as the central hub.
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A total of 239 competition items are scheduled during the festival. The high school section will feature 96 items, while the higher secondary section will have 105 items.
In addition, Sanskritotsavam and Arabic Kalolsavam will each include 19 events, highlighting linguistic and cultural diversity.
The celebrations will begin even before the formal inauguration. At 9 am, a grand Pandi Melam, inspired by the famous Ilanjithara Melam, will be performed at the main venue.
More than 100 percussion artists will take part in the performance. To mark the 64th edition of the festival, 64 children carrying traditional muthukuda (ceremonial umbrellas) will add colour and symbolism to the opening ceremony.
Thrissur welcomed the young participants with warmth and tradition on Tuesday.
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At the Thrissur railway station, students were greeted with pulikali performers, traditional percussion music and ceremonial umbrellas, creating a festive atmosphere. Students from KTCT Higher Secondary School, Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram, were the first group to arrive.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty and Revenue Minister K Rajan were present at the reception. Sivankutty later flagged off vehicles arranged to transport students to their accommodation centres.
At Lourdes St Mary’s School, which is functioning as one of the accommodation centres, students were received by the district collector, mayor, director of general education and other officials, who welcomed them with sweets.
