Kalamandalam students dance to welcome youth festival participants, but they cannot compete

Thrissur: Kerala Kalamandalam students will perform the dance accompanying the welcome song at the State School Arts Festival, but ironically the students of this premier arts institution are being deprived of the opportunity to compete at the event. The explanation by the education department is that Kalamandalam students are pursuing various arts as their core subjects. Kalamandalam authorities argue that their students must be given opportunities to compete in other disciplines."It is alright if you exclude Kalamandalam students from items such as Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Maddalam and classical music, but what is wrong in allowing them in disciplines like story writing or elocution," asked Kalamandalam vice-chancellor B Ananthakrishnan.The six-and-a-half minute dance presentation of the welcome song will be a confluence of various art forms including Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Ottan Thullal, Kuchipudi and folk dance. As many as 41 Kalamandalam students will perform it, said Kalamandalam Rajitha Ravi, who has choreographed the dance.Ravi said Kalamandalam officials drew revenue minister K Rajan's attention to the need to allow their students to compete when he came to watch the rehearsal. The minister promised that he would take up the issue, the vice-chancellor said.Noon-meal workers protestMeanwhile, a section of the school noon-meal workers have decided to launch a protest on the inaugural day to press for their demand for decent wages. "While there is so much hype about the meal preparations — Pazhayidom Ruchi and the like — little attention is being paid to the pathetic plight of noon-meal workers who cook food every day for tens of thousands of students," said Sreedharan Therambil, leader of HMS-affiliated union of noon-meal workers.The workers demand their daily wage be enhanced to Rs 1,000 per day from Rs 600.They also demand the student-worker ratio be fixed at 1:250. Union leaders say states like Tamil Nadu have recognised noon-meal workers as contingency staff which make them entitled to benefits like EPF and gratuity.