THRISSUR: Thrissur Sahodaya led the points tally with 716 points on the second day of the 27th CBSE State Youth Festival on Friday, while Malabar Sahodaya came second with 628 points and Ernakulam Sahodaya third with 572 points. At the fourth place was Palakkad Sahodaya with 569 points and fifth was Kottayam Sahodaya with 540 points at 7 p.m.
CMI public schools led the points tally among schools. On top was Silver Hills CMI Public School, Kozhikode, with 179 points followed by Devagiri CMI Public School, Kozhikode, with 166 points at second place, Christ CMI Public School, Kanhangad third with 143 points, Devamatha CMI Public School, Kanhangad, fourth with 136 points and Marygiri Public School, Koothattukulam fifth with 105 points. The delay in the conduct of events and results declaration continued on the second day too.
Oppana (Category 2) by Sabarigiri Residential School, Anchal, Kollam.
The power point presentation competition stood out with the theme of waste management. Akshay Jeojin Prem and Jerrin Joseph from De Paul Public School, Kalpetta, put up a presentation on the use of microbes in waste disintegration which won them first prize in category IV. The contests in a total of 115 events were scheduled to end by the second day and they may well go into the late night. On the final day, a total of 29 events are scheduled. Actor Aparna Balamurali is the star attraction of the concluding function in the evening.
Margamkali (Category 3) by Jyothis Central School, Kazhakuttom.
Events stretch up to 3 a.m.
The organisers of the 27th CBSE state youth festival had a tough time conducting the events on time though the sprawling IES Education City campus spread out in 48 acres offered ample space. On the first day on Thursday, the events stretched up to 3 a.m. straining the participants, judges, parents and organisers alike. General convener K.A. Francis said the participants failed to report to the stage on time. “We did not want to axe the chance of the participants and so we were a bit lenient. The first participant in an event is reluctance to come to the stage as he or she feels that there is a better chance of winning by appearing later. One group event was delayed for more than one-and-a-half hours due to this tendency and we had to serve an ultimatum to the participant,” said Mr Francis.
“We are organising an event of this magnitude without any support of the state government while the state school youth festival is conducted by the government itself. Though we struggle to conduct it, we are happy doing it for our students,” he said. Festival convener and principal of IES Public School, C. Latha Prakash, said that because of the infrastructure facilities of the school and IES Education City and the co-operation of the staff, the festival could be conducted in three days, while it was held in four days last year.
Festival heat downs 150 participants
The second day of the CBSE state school youth festival also witnessed spirited participation by the contestants. But the hot climate and the heated contest made 150 students sick by Friday evening. They were taken care of by two teams consisting of doctors and nurses, one deployed by the DMO and the other from the Amala Hospital. However, none had to be hospitalised. Nearly two dozen of the sick suffered from stage fright and anxiety while others complained of fever, dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps and vomiting. Psychologists took care of those facing anxiety.
Group events like dance, oppana, margam kali, duffmuttu and band display continued to be the main attractions. In single events, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Ottanthullal and folk dance dominated the second day with connoisseurs rooting for them. The festival witnessed three appeals till Friday evening, one each in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music and folk dance. The number is less compared to last year which points to the proper selection of judges by the organising committee and their judgment. The feast spread out by culinary expert Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboodiri, who does it for the state school youth festival, is another specialty of the CBSE festival this year.
