Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 63rd Kerala State School Arts Festival (the Kerala school Kalolsavam), an art competition for high school and higher secondary school students of Kerala, in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, January 4. The inaugural function was held at the central stadium, the main venue of the event.
In the five-day event, which will conclude on January 8, around 15,000 contestants will showcase their talents in 249 events. There are 25 stages spread across the city named 25 rivers of Kerala. The main venue, the central stadium, which was initially named Bharathapuzha later changed to MT-Nila, as a tribute to Malayalam literary legend MT Vasudevan Nair, who passed away recently.
The festival presents a combination of various traditional and classic art performances, musicals, mimicry, mime, recitations, drama etc. These include Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Yakshagana, Nadodinritham, Oppana, Thiruvathira, Kolkkali, Duffumuttu, and Chavittu Nadakam.
For the first time in the history of the festival, five tribal art forms have also been included in the competition. They are Mangalam Kali, a traditional dance form of the Mavilan and Malavettuvan communities in Kasaragod and Kannur districts, Paniya Nritham, a traditional dance form of the Paniya community in Wayanad district, Malapulaya Aattam, a traditional art form of the Malapulaya community in Idukki district, Irula Nritham, a traditional art form of the Irula community from Attappady in the Palakkad district, and Paliya Nritham, a traditional art form of the Paliya community in the Idukki district.
Grades are awarded for individual and group performances which add up points for each district. The winning district is announced on the final day. In 2024, the Kannur district won the Kalolsavam trophy.
The beginning of the festival can be traced back to 1956 when Dr CS Venkiteswaran was the Director of Education in the state. He initiated the first school-level arts festival at the SRV Girls High School in Ernakulam. The Kerala State School Arts Festival was inspired by the Delhi Inter-university Arts Festival. Kalathilakam (girls) and Kalaprathibha (boys) awards for contestants who score highest points were started in 1986. The practice was stopped in 2006 following multiple disputes and unsavoury incidents. Till 2009, the name of the art festival was ‘Kerala School Yuvajanolsavam.’