Kannur wins gold cup at 64th Kerala School Kalolsavam
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Thrissur: Kannur district emerged victorious at the 64th Kerala School Kalolsavam, Asia’s largest school arts festival, claiming the coveted gold cup at the conclusion of the week-long event here on Sunday.
Kannur topped the district-level rankings with 1,028 points, closely followed by Thrissur with 1,023 points and Kozhikode with 1,017 points. The gold cup was presented to representatives of Kannur district by Malayalam actor Mohanlal.
In the individual school category, BSS Gurukulam Higher Secondary School, Alathur, in Palakkad district, emerged as the overall champion with 238 points. SVGVHSS Kidangannur in Pathanamthitta district secured second place with 157 points, while MGMHSS Mananthavady finished third with 136 points.
Addressing the valedictory function, Mohanlal said the State School Arts Festival holds a unique place in Kerala’s cultural history and has played a crucial role in nurturing talents who later enriched Malayalam cinema. “Even in the pre-Internet era, the festival enjoyed prominence greater than cinema and served as a vital platform for young talent,” he said.
The actor added that several prominent actors, singers, and artists in Malayalam cinema had emerged from school arts festivals. “Even today, directors come here to scout for talent. The festival is not merely a platform to showcase artistic skills but a lesson in togetherness. It boosts confidence, teaches the joy of sharing, and shows that failure is a stepping stone to success,” Mohanlal said, emphasising that participation and competition were more important than results.
He urged students not to confine their talents to the festival stage alone but to develop them further and present them to the world, reiterating, “This is not a competition; it is a festival.”
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan highlighted the potential of children to realise Kerala’s dreams, describing them as the state’s demographic dividend. He urged policies that would encourage children to stay in Kerala instead of migrating to countries such as Canada, Germany, or Britain. “If children leave en masse, Kerala could turn into an old-age home. Let that not happen if we take the right decisions,” he said.
Satheesan also praised Education Minister V. Sivankutty for allowing Siya Fathima, who suffers from vasculitis, to participate online. “The most important component of good governance is empathy. Sivankutty’s decision reminded me of that,” he said.
Minister Sivankutty said this edition of Kalolsavam would be remembered for enabling Siya Fathima to compete remotely. He also announced that the government would provide a house to Sachu Satheesh from Kasaragod, who participated despite adverse circumstances, calling it “not charity, but respect for talent.”
Sivankutty added that the government plans to set up arts training centres similar to sports divisions to nurture artistic talent. He also assured the appointment of specialist teachers for arts training with job security, and said the schedules for school-, sub-district-, and district-level competitions would be announced soon after the academic year begins.
He further stated that independent observers would be appointed to address complaints at school-level competitions, and that the system of awarding grace marks for participation in arts events would be scientifically reviewed for potential improvements. Studies would also be conducted to make the festival more inclusive.
Ministers K. Rajan, A. K. Saseendran, and R. Bindhu, Speaker A. N. Shamseer, and Thrissur Mayor Niji Justin also spoke at the function.
With PTI inputs