Thiruvananthapuram: Finally, after much commotion, M. Reshma of Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram was declared as the Kalathilakam of the Kerala University Youth Festival which concluded in Kollam on Saturday. A complaint had earlier been registered alleging that result of a competition item held in the Kerala University youth festival was sabotaged to favour a serial actor. Other contestants alleged that judges gave marks to the actor S Mahalekshmi unduly to get her elected as Kalathilakam. This had resulted in heated arguments at the venue of the youth festival, delaying the award ceremony for hours.
When the results were declared for the first time, the first prize was for Christ Nagar College student Divya Vijayan in the Kuchipudi competition. But later serial artist Mahalakshmi representing Mar Ivanios College reached first place through appeal and Divya went out of the winner’s list. “In the Kathaprasan-gam contest also, Meerin Mary Philip of Gregorius College, Sreekaryam who won the first place was relegated to the second place and the actor won the first place. This was even while the actor was not in the first three places in the original winner list,” alleged other students.
Meanwhile, the festival organiser’s took a stand is that the decision of the judges is final. This resulted in heated arguments between students who were assembled at the venue. However, later the organisers decided to stick to their original list with Ms Divya Vijayan and Ms Meerin Mary Philip being declared winners in Kuchipudi and Kathaprasangam respectively. Mar Ivanios College had earlier emerged as clear winners.
