State School Arts Festival concludes today; Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali will be chief guests

Thiruvananthapuram: The curtains will fall on the State School Arts Festival on Wednesday. The closing ceremony will begin at 5 PM at the main venue, Central Stadium. Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan will inaugurate the closing ceremony, said General Education Minister V. Sivankutty during a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram. Film stars Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali will be the chief guests.

Minister G.R. Anil will preside over the event. The General Education Minister will distribute the Golden Cup of the festival, along with media awards for the 62nd State School Arts Festival and the 2023 State School Sports Meet. Speaker A.N. Shamseer will deliver the keynote address. Ministers K.N. Balagopal, K. Krishnankutty, Ramachandran Kadannappally, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, V.N. Vasavan, P.A. Muhammad Riyas, M.B. Rajesh, P. Prasad, Saji Cherian, Dr. R. Bindu, J. Chinchurani, O.R. Kelu, and V. Abdurahman will distribute prizes.

MLAs Antony Raju, K. Ansalan, G. Stephen, O.S. Ambika, V. Sasi, D.K. Murali, and C.K. Hareendran, who also serve as chairpersons of various festival committees, Chief Secretary Sharada Muraleedharan, General Education Principal Secretary Rani George, Director S. Shanavas, Additional Director R.S. Shibu and Reception Committee Convener Salu J.R. will also attend.

The creator of the Golden Cup, Chirayinkeezhu Sreekantan Nair, will be honoured with a traditional ‘ponnada’ (shawl) at the closing ceremony. Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboothiri, who has completed 25 years in the culinary field, and the Haritha Karma Sena, who played a key role in the smooth conduct of the festival, as well as those involved in setting up the pandals, lighting and sound, will also be honoured. Around 78 awards will be distributed in various categories. Only a maximum of ten people, including eight students and two teachers, will be allowed on stage to receive awards. Special identity cards will be provided to them to avoid unnecessary crowding at the venue.

Traffic arrangements will be in place in Thiruvananthapuram city in connection with the closing ceremony. Public vehicles will not be allowed to enter Central Stadium.

All competitions will be completed by 2 PM, and all procedures, including appeals, will be wrapped up by 3:30 PM. The Golden Cup will be brought to the venue by 4 PM, according to Minister V. Sivankutty. Minister G.R. Anil, who is also the chairperson of the reception committee, expressed gratitude to the police and volunteers for their assistance in organising the school arts festival efficiently and ensuring traffic arrangements without causing inconvenience to the public.

MLAs Antony Raju and I.B. Satheesh, along with General Education Director S. Shanavas, participated in the press conference.