The Kerala State School Arts Festival (Kalolsavam) is a much-awaited festivity among students of the state schools. Students, academics, and artisans, among others, come together to celebrate the five-day-long events and competitions.
As the entire state has geared up with campaigns and cultural programs before the main festivities, Mananchira Square in Kozhikode stood witness to an interesting welcome campaign for the school arts festival.
Pulling Up A Crowd
Teachers play an important role in encouraging students to join events and exhibit their talents on the dais. They often go the extra mile by helping them learn and practice multiple art forms that fall outside their subject grounds. Multiple times, videos from school events in Kerala showing teachers dancing along with students backstage have won hearts online. This time also, teachers from Kozhikode have decided to garner support for their student's artistic capacities by bringing the Kalolsavam to the public's notice through a differential approach.
Under the title, "Vaa namukkoru nadakam kalikyaam" (Come let's act out a play), teachers came together to play an experimental drama that featured some of the timeless and classical characters from Malayalam literature. The drama, scripted by Sajitha Kamal and PK Jyotsna from Ramakrishna Mission HSS, Meenchanda, and Smitha Sivaraman from Kondotty GVHSS, was directed by P Sukanya, a dancer and former Kalathilakam. The unexpected play held by the teachers took the public by surprise and also helped them revisit some of their loved characters from regional literature.
As the preparations for the 61st Kalolsavam had officially begun days back in Kozhikode, the teachers came together to invite everyone to become a part of their festivities. The Kalolsavam is set to be held in Kozhikode from January 3 to 7.
From Vaikom Muhammed Basheer To Uroob
The dramatisation was presented at Mananchira Square by Sravanika, - a forum of female school teachers from different parts of the State. According to a report by The Hindu, teachers from state schools across Kozhikode put their best foot forward as art directors, music composers, and actors to make the play a success.
Jisha C Chalil, from GHSS, Thadikkadavu, was entrusted with the art direction, while PK Radhi of GVHSS, Nadakkavu, and K Jisma, from St Joseph's Anglo Indian School, Kozhikode, composed the music and costumes for the play respectively. Among the characters that stole the show in 'Vaa nammukoru naadakam kalikyaam' were Pathumma, a character penned by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, Oppol from MT Vasudevan Nair's novel, Rachiyamma by Uroob, and Dakshayani by R Rajasree. Alongside teachers, even headmistresses from multiple schools played out characters in the play and left a mark.
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