Overview
- Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 64th Kerala State School Arts Festival in Thrissur on January 14 for a five-day run featuring roughly 14,000–15,000 students in nearly 250 events across about 25 venues.
- Under the “Responsible Kalolsavam” banner, organisers are enforcing green measures including citywide cleaning drives, green booths, a refundable bottle scheme, and on-site food safety inspections.
- Security has been scaled up with eight DySPs, 26 Circle Inspectors, and over 1,000 police personnel, alongside continuous patrolling, CCTV coverage, fire service control points, and hospital readiness.
- Vijayan’s inaugural address urged using art to counter attempts to restrict cultural expression on religious lines, as Union Minister Suresh Gopi attended the ceremony and declined to engage the political remarks.
- A pre-event dispute over stage names was settled by renaming one venue “Thamara,” while logistics include lodging in 20 schools, around 30 special buses for transport, and plans to serve about 60,000 meals.