In the weekend, 52 children, each vying to be the master of the chess board took great interest in participating in the Chess Competition held with the help of the Solar Chess Club. The tournament witnessed some nail biting moments between children who put their all into their game. Anxious parents could be seen praying for their children to emerge winners. The tournament came to a close with R. Sujit Prathameesh securing the first place, B. Madhav the second place and V. Varun Rao the third place in the under-10 catergory. T. Vasant and Siva Mahadevan received the consolation prizes. In the under12 category A. S. Sauganthika secured the first place, K.U. Kumaresh the second place and R.K. Chitra the third place. S. Vigneshwaran and M Hemanth received the consolation prizes.
The origami workshop was received with great delight by children. Somehow, they never seem to be tired of folding paper to make creative designs. A fish, a rabbit, a box, was all done with keen interest and tremendous concentration. Our workshop directors Victoria and Augustine made the folding fun for the children in their own inimitable style.
Involving the youth was a great success in this year’s festival. Chennai Social Service (CSS) helped harness youth groups from various colleges and Universities. The performances by the youth revolved around the theme “Save the Environment.” Their passion for the environment was evident from the programmes that they put up.
Bhajans by school children was welcome by Park audiences. Despite the noisy evening surroundings in the park, the melodious voices of children filled the hearts of many music lovers. The schools that participated in the group singing were Vishwa Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Sri Sankara Vidhyashramam, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (Nungambakkam), and Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (T Nagar).
Programmes arranged in front of the 16 pillar Mandapam dance drama, light music, theru koothu had audiences who would not move from their seats even as night was setting in. The kolam competition saw scores of enthusiastic women, unmindful of the warm afternoon, stretching out their kolams. A complete feast for the eye, this event brought in participants as young as a 12-year-old ! More than 200 women took part in the event spread over two days.
Traditional games like the Pallankuzhi and Dayakattam were open to all. The painting competition for children, kids kolam contest, and design a T Shirt contest, saw young avid artistes splash vibrant colours around their art sheets. The Mylapore Quiz, Heritage Tours, and Public Talks had their own audiences who were either residents of Mylapore for a long long time or those who wanted to get to know Mylapore.
This year’s festival T Shirt with the “My Fest” image on it was popular as it gave each one who wore the T Shirt a sense of belonging to the Festival. A dash of bright colours against a black background was an easy temptation for many a youngster who visited the Festival.
Particular mention needs to be made of the Food Street. Traditional food seldom cooked in homes these days was the highlight of the Food Street. The special dishes like the `morkali’ and `modhagam’ got sold in a jiffy. Serpentine queues for the soft chappatis and the chat items were seen.
The art and crafts bazaar had women thronging the stalls for all kinds of jewellery. Some of the stalls sold ethnic wear, while some others sold handicrafts made of bronze for the home. Attractively designed cards made of hand made paper, books, paintings all formed part of the bazaar. One family went on a shopping spree and found things they could buy for almost everyone in the house !
Thank you to all who made the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival 2010 a success.
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