Standard of competition has come down, says Kuchipudi teacher

Kozhikode: Returning after two years, the Kerala State School Kalolsavam has not just been a celebration of Kerala’s rich culture, but also turned into a platform for public gathering. However, Dr Mahesh Pillai, who has reached the 61st Kerala Kalolsavam with two of his Kuchippudi students, noted that the competition has failed to maintain its standard this year.

“The reason for the decrease in quality might be the two-year gap caused by the pandemic. The students have not taken part in a competition for the past two years. Those who completed 10th before the pandemic were well trained but they could not take part in the Kalolsavam for two years,” he said.  

Pillai added that the students who are currently taking part in the high school competitions were in sixth or seventh standard during the last Kalolsavam and they have not taken part in the state-level competition till now. 

“The fall in standard is because they have not been undergoing regular training for the past couple of years. Lack of proper training reflected on the stage, he added.  

“My students took part in Mohiniyattam competition too. There also I felt the same issue in the performance. I hope it will get better by next year,” Pillai said.

The father of a Kuchippudi contestant, Sajan, who is also a dance teacher opined the same. “We cannot blame the students for this. Even this year, we were not sure if the Kalolsavam will take place. So most of the students didn't take regular practice,” he said. 

“The Class 9 and 10 students among the participants have not seen a stage in two years and they do not have any experience in performing at the state level. I think this may have affected the performances of the students,” he added.