42 Plus One students begin dance training at Kalamandalam

The training is part of the SITAR programme to identify creative talents of adolescents

Forty-two Plus One students are taking part in a six-day State-level camp titled Nruthyathi at Kerala Kalamandalam as part of SITAR (Students’ Initiative for Training in Artistic Rejuvenation).

SITAR is a programme of the Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell (higher secondary wing) of the General Education department to identify creative talents of adolescents and hone them with the support of premier institutions. This year, the programme will focus on dance.

As part of SITAR, students who show some spark of talent are selected at the school and district level and their interests promoted in a field selected that particular year. The training is provided in some of the premier institutes of the State and the country, and interactions with experts are organised for for students.

SITAR is implemented for Plus One students in State schools. Since 2013, training is being provided in one select sector each year. If in 2012-13, it was in theatre at the National School of Drama, New Delhi, it was short film at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, the next year and designing at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, in 2014-15. It was media and journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in 2015-16, fashion technology at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, the next year, and new media and animation at NID, Ahmedabad, a year later. In 2018-19, training was provided in photograpy and post-production at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, and in 2019-20 in film-making at the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Dance training for 2021-22 is being provided in association with Kerala Kalamandalam. Both Mohiniyattom and Bharatanatyam have been included in SITAR.

To select Plus One students with an interest in dance, a questionnaire prepared by Kalamandalam was used at the school level. Two students selected from each school were provided an orientation on dance-related possibilities at the education-district-level. An exam was then held with Kalamandalam support at the education-district-level, and a rank list of students gifted in dance was prepared. Of them, 42 students are taking part in the State-level camp at Kalamandalam.

The camp was inaugurated by Padma Shri awardee Kalamandalam Kshemavathy on Saturday. Kalamandalam vice chancellor T.K. Narayanan presided. Director of General Education Jeevan Babu K. delivered the keynote address.