Kerala

RINGSIDE VIEW

— Photo: S. Mahinsha

Decking up: A participant of the Koodiyattom competition in the green room.

Confusion over the usage and pronunciation of Malayalam letters at the Kavyakeli competition on Sunday at the State School Kalotsavam, and the protests that ensued, left many at a loss of words. Kavyakeli is all about correct usage and pronunciation. The point of contention at the contest was could two similar sounding letters be used in place of each other. At the high-school-level competition, the three judges disallowed such an exchange. The students who made the error had to be satisfied with a B grade.

Later, for the competition for higher secondary students, the rule was not enforced. The parents of the high school students who made the error protested. A judge backed out from the latter competition, as he was against the strict enforcement of the rule.

As tension mounted, A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Director of Public Instruction, and a police team arrived at the venue. Mr. Hanish promised an inquiry if a written complaint was filed.

The pass percentage in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination to be held in March may surge if the number of A grades at the Kalotsavam is any indication. The top grade means 30 bonus marks at the annual examination.

As the week-long cultural extravaganza winds to a close here on Monday, the judges seem to have made most contestants happy. The scene was no different at the Cotton Hill Girls Higher Secondary School on Sunday where the competition in light music was held.

Of the 14 participants in the higher secondary section representing each district of the State, 12 secured A grades. At the high school level, the competition produced a similar outcome with a vast majority of the contestants walking away with A grades. C.N. Venugopal, one the judges, while announcing the results, advised the candidates to maintain rhythm while singing and to be more careful with their landing notes.

Though the Directorate of Public Instruction had decided to rename Oppana for boys as Vattappattu from this year, confusion prevailed in the minds of trainers and the contestants alike who came here to attend the event at the Central Stadium on Sunday. While some argued that Vattappattu was an entirely different art form, a few others insisted that it was a folk song. Yet another category preferred to go by the festival manual, which classified it as Oppana for boys.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu