Karyavattom: The Kerala University Youth Festival commenced at its campus here in Thiruvananthapuram city on Tuesday. Around 102 competition events and 150 colleges are expected to participate in the event which will conclude on March 30. Kerala university students' union has arranged all facilities for students taking part in the competitions.
All classes at the Karyavattom campus have been suspended from March 25 to 29. All examinations scheduled for these days have been postponed.
The Festival, organised annually by the Kerala University Union, provides an unparalleled forum for the students to test their intellectual and artistic prowess. It offers them a chance to exhibit their skills and talents in the field of culture, literary and other spheres. It opens before the students new vistas of competition and, at the same time, brings out the strength of camaraderie, the pleasure of participation and the satisfaction of being part of one of the largest celebrations of their student life.
What makes the University Youth festival special is that it is an event fully organised by the students themselves. Every moment and activity of the Festival is planned and carried out by the students, with the guidance and support of the Department of Student Services. 0
The Festival is conducted in different locations each year so that the spirit of the celebration reaches all the four districts where the University has its affiliated colleges. The competitions, which last for nearly a week, are conducted simultaneously in at least half a dozen venues, named after the famous artists and writers of the State.
It was during 1970-71 that the University Youth Festival was reorganised in the present form, in terms of participation. The event is conducted strictly in accordance with the rules framed by the University, for the impartial conduct of the contests. Initially, the student who scored the maximum points was declared Individual champion of the youth festival. In 1984, it was decided that separate individual positions be awarded to the male and female contestants, who are declared Kalaprathibha and Kalathilakam respectively. The department or affiliated college scoring the highest points is presented with an overall trophy.
The students who won the top positions in the University youth festivals of recent years have become professional artists, and have made their presence felt in the art and cinema scene of Kerala. In fact, the Kerala University Youth Festival has become the arena that regularly identifies the stars of the future.
The Festival venues attract many filmmakers and patrons of art who step in to identify the stars of the future. Many film stars, writers, artists and cultural leaders also grace the event with their presence.
Most of them come not as celebrities, but as contestants of yesteryears, just to relive their student days and to feel the pulse of those moments when they too performed on such stages, with a chest number pinned to their dress.
The winners at the Kerala University Youth Festival are offered the opportunity to take part in zonal and national-level festivals. In addition, they are entitled to get grace marks in the University examination.