Kannur: Amid all the glitz, glamour and joy of youth, the school arts festivals often serve as a grim reminder of the struggles waged by the less fortunate to showcase their creativity and artistic skills.
Accompanied by her mother Archana and little brother Sidharth, Souparnika, an eighth standard student of Government HHS, Thonakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, arrived in Kannur two days ago to take part in the folk dance competition at the ongoing State School Arts Festival.
As renting a lodge room by paying around Rs 800 per day was simply unthinkable and unaffordable for them, they opted not to sleep till the event gets over. They have been spending time watching programs at Police maidan, the festival’s main venue, from dawn to dusk.
Early morning, they would go to the restroom and change their dress before strolling silently through the noisy venues.
Since Souparnika was the only participant from her school, no teachers accompanied her to the festival. The school authorities had guaranteed that they would arrange accommodation for her. But after reaching Kannur, she tried calling the number given by them several times but nobody picked up the phone.
Holding her two children and the bag containing costumes and ornaments close and tight, Archana spent two nights at the police maidan without sleeping.
Her husband Sundar Raj, who ekes out a living by driving an autorickshaw, had come to Kannur to drop them. “He is the only breadwinner of the family. It is beyond our means to send our daughter to events of this magnitude,” said Archana.
The whole-hearted support extended by her teachers is Souparnika’s source of motivation.
“Some of our relatives had pooled in money to help her attend the festival. But as it was too less to meet the expenses, we were forced to pledge her gold chain to get a loan,” Archana said.
If Souparnika wins a prize at the festival, it would definitely lift the mood of her family.
“We will forget all our miseries if she manages to win a prize,” Archana added.
