Students from National Higher Secondary School, Kolathur, perform the play ‘Eravi’ in the Drama competition (HS category) at Chaldean Syrian Higher Secondary School in Thrissur on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: K.K. NAJEEB
The penultimate day of the Kerala State School Arts Festival on Saturday witnessed the biggest crowd so far with the two most popular events happening on the day – Group Dance and Drama. The head-to-head competition added to the electrifying atmosphere and the overall experience of all those who became part of the audience.
Crowds at both Thekkinkadu Maidan and Chaldean Syrian HSS swelled as they flocked in the thousands to see the tight Group Dance and Drama competitions in the HSS category. The main venue at Thekkinkadu Maidan saw over 10,000-odd people.
This time around, too, there were several excellent performances, beside a variety of themes – from choreographies on Operation Sindoor to another which featured the a reference to the movie character Balamani from the 2002 film Nandanam (actor Navya Nair who essayed the role is a former winner of dance competitions at the State School Festival).
The hordes of Drama enthusiasts that arrived at Chaldean Syrian HSS too were in for a treat. For lovers of the performance arts had plenty events to choose from – including Bharatanatyam, Chavittu Natakam, Kathakali, Mono Act, Kolkali, Kerala Nadanam, Folk Dance, Kuchipudi, Vanchipattu, and Thayambaka.
Irula Nrutham and Paliya Nrutham were the Tribal Dance events featured on the day. As in previous days, Tribal Dance competitions too managed to pull in decent crowd.
Going into the final day, Kannur district is leading in the race for the ’Gold Cup’, with 955 points. The host and defending champion Thrissur is just five points behind, followed by Palakkad (947), Kozhikode (946) and Kollam (917).
Published – January 17, 2026 10:47 pm IST
