Mysuru:  The State-level Pratibha Karanji and Kalotsava will be held from Dec.15 to 17 in Muktagangothri (Karnataka State Open University) premises and 51 students from each District, numbering 1,734 will be participating in different competitions, said Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar.

He was addressing a press conference at the DC Office here on Wednesday and said that the District Administration and Department of Education is jointly organising this three-day event.

This is one of the major events of the Education Department. Students from eighth to tenth standard will participate in Pratibha Karanji, while students from ninth to twelfth standard will participate in Kalotsava competitions. The students who have participated in both the competitions at the District-level and stood first will participate in the State-level competitions, he said.

Pratibha Karanji is an individual competition where there will be elocution contest in 10 languages — Kannada, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Tulu and Konkani; Arabic and Sanskrit recitation; Janapadageethe, Bhavageethe, Bharatanatyam, fancy dress competition, extempore, mimicry, debate, rangoli and ghazal competitions. Kalotsava group competitions include dance, music, drama and visual arts, he said.

There will be 170 nodal officers and teachers with five from each district. Accommodation and food will be provided to the participants and caterers have been selected through e-tendering process. Separate arrangements have been made for boys and girls.

The girl students will stay at Satya Sai School, Nirmala Convent, Basaveshwara Samudaya Bhavan, Srirama Samudaya Bhavan, Mulakanadu Samudaya Bhavan and JSS Educational Institutions in Saraswathipuram while the boys will be accommodated at Mahajana School, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Lalitha High School, Rotary Brindavan School, Taralabalu Educational Institutions, Indira High School and Mahabodhi Educational Institutions. Temporary toilets have been arranged in all these places and for those who are making own arrangements for the stay, Rs.20,000 has already been paid in advance.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will inaugurate the programme on Dec.15 at 11 am at the Muktagangothri main stage. Higher Education Minister G.T. Devegowda and Tourism Minister S.R. Mahesh will be the guests. MLA L. Nagendra will preside. Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, Zilla Panchayat President Nayeema Sultana, MPs Pratap Simha, R. Dhruvanarayan, L.R. Shivarame Gowda and other people’s representatives will participate.

Transport arrangements have been made to ferry the students from their place of stay to the competition venue with the help of private educational institutions. A website www.pratibhakaranji.co.in has been created for smooth conduct of the events, the DC said.

Rs. 8.10 lakh cash awards

Just half-an-hour after the competition, the winners list will be declared. A health centre and ambulance facility has been arranged. The students’ parents must make their own food and accommodation arrangements. In all, 21 individual prizes will be given. First prize is Rs.10,000, second Rs. 5,000 and third prize Rs.3,000. Likewise in the four team competitions, first prize is Rs.60,000, second Rs.30,000 and third Rs.18,000. A total of Rs. 8.10 lakh cash awards will be presented, said S. Mamatha, DDPI, Mysuru, District.

Rs. 65.42 lakh grant

To organise the State-level Pratibha Karanji and Kalotsava, the government is going to give Rs. 65,42,000 grant. Out of this, Rs.62,39,500 has been released. To maintain cleanliness in Muktagangothri campus amount has been deposited. All contestants will be provided with separate codes. In order to protect the secrecy of the winners and for the judges to give unbiased results, D-code (code number) will be given. Care will be taken to see that the judges do not have background information regarding the participants, said DC Abhiram G. Sankar.

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