A bid to explore Edappally's history

Every Malayali might have heard of the place Edappally. But do you know how the place got the name? The name came from edakku, meaning in between, and palli kollunna sthalam, meaning the place or palace where the kings used to rest. The place has a rich history, but how many of us know about it? Very few, will be the likely answer. That is why a group of students decided to tell the people the stories of Edappally.

Thirty students who are part of the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) at Government Higher Secondary School, Edappally, are organising the historical and cultural fiesta, titled Edappally Carnival. The event that got off to a start on Thursday will go on till Saturday. The carnival will witness a slew of cultural programmes ranging from flash mobs to children’s concerts. There will also be a literary discussion with the participation of acclaimed poet Paravathy Salil and historiographer Shilpa Gopalakrishnan.

The students are also planning to conduct a historical quiz about Edappally. There will be folk music and dance programmes as well. “As part of ASAP foundation module, which is aimed at improving communication skills, the ASAP students have to do a project at the end of each year. Earlier, the students used to make a power point presentation on a selected topic. We decided to think out of the box and zeroed in on this outreach programme,” says Anand Krishnamurthy, one of the organisers of the event.

The students are also shooting videos of the local residents recounting what they know about the history of the region and its monuments. “They are planning to screen those videos during the programme and also to upload them on their own YouTube channel,” adds Anand. “The students were greatly inspired from the Kochi Biennale and wanted to do something like that,” he says.