Other Activities

Azhchavattom

In order to facilitate free expression of  the artistic and other  abilities of  the senior citizens and thus help them  unwind themselves while providing  entertainment to others, the Forum  holds an Azhchavattom  programme at 6.30 p.m.  every Tuesday. Over the  years  this programme  has become  very popular.  Here members are free to sing, tell stories, narrate anecdotes  or discuss anything of topical interest including matters of  health and ailments.

Kavyamoola

This is a programme  meant to give budding poets opportunities to present their  creations before  friends   and well-wishers. They can hear fair criticism or  appreciation  and they are  also at liberty to reply. The idea is  to give  talented  writers  ample exposure so that they  can grow  and flower in a  conducive environment.  Kavyamoola  is held at 4 p.m. on the  second Sunday of every month.

Besides poetry  there is freedom to   recite  songs  and read  prose works  like short stories, book reviews  etc.

Many writers and young  poets do present their  works at  the Kavyamoola forum   and  the animated discussions  that follow  make the affair  lively and interesting.

Akshara Sloka Sadas

In the good old days of  leisure and recreation it was customary for  literary  pundits and poets  to gather for a  virtual matching of their  wits and  scholarship— at what was known as Akshara Sloka Sadas.  They usually sat in a circle  for the event.  The senior-most member of the group would  start off the evening  programme by  reciting  a sloka. The  person  next to him would then  recite a  sloka starting with the first letter of the third line of sloka  just finished  by his predecessor. The third person similarly would  take his cue from the first letter of the third line  of the sloka  delivered by the second participant.  This  process could go on  for hours until one by one everybody got stumped  and withdrew leaving one  man who became  the  winner of the evening

This form of entertainment still draws  epicureans  but  in the absence  of stalwarts of  the earlier era, it  has lost much of its sheen and  the appreciative  crowd is  getting  thin.  For one thing  the  pursuit of scholarship is a  diminishing  fact of life. Secondly, few people  can find  time to cultivate such hobbies.  Thirdly,  there are other diversions  which have greater pull and are less taxing on the brain. Lastly, there are   few sponsors for this form of  entertainment.

The Edappalli Akshara Sloka Sadas  was established  a few years ago to  reverse the trend and  keep alive  this form of  traditional  intellectual amusement.  It has found  new adherents.

The  Sadas   is held in the Park at 2 p.m. on the  fourth Sunday of every month and it  conducts its anniversary celebrations  during the  Onam festival.

Mazhavillu

It is a drama outfit  of children for children by children, set up  for providing  them training in acting, directing and staging  plays.  It was  registered under the Charitable Societies Act.  It has  its own managing committee elected from among  children under 16   and its functioning  is guided by Prof. Chandradasan, director of Lok Dharmi, a well-known  professional drama group in Tripunithura.

Mazhavillu conducts training classes on every Saturday and  usually holds  a  five-day drama camp in April.   Besides,  it has  now  been decided  to  have a  three-day workshop  on kathaprasangom as part of   Kedamangalam Sadanandan anusmaranam on  April  11,12 & 13 every year.   The Kerala Kathaprasanga Academy would be   directing the workshop.  In the  first such workshop in 2009  fifteen students  participated.

Natakolsavam

The availability of two rent-free well-equipped  modern stages along with essential paraphernalia, like lighting gear for  special effects, stand-by generator, good sound systems,  enough  chairs and  adequate space to accommodate a large audience and above all  presence of  an ample crowd of epicureans  keen about  the art make Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram the natural choice of drama groups  in this part of Kerala. It is no accident, therefore,  CSK  becomes the  venue  for a number of  stage presentations including natakolsavams every year.

The Changampuzha Natakolsavam  in 2008  staged  eight  top-class plays in as many days. Early in 2009  P.J. Antony   Smarak Samithy  held  a five-day  festival.

The Lok Dharmi drama group in Tripunithura  led  by Prof. Chandradasan  and  CSK  jointly  present  high quality  plays every year,.

In 2008  the Ernakulam Press celebrating its 40th anniversary,  in association  with the National School of Drama  sponsored  an 8-day-long  drama festival   honouring  Kavalam  Narayana  Panicker,  doyen of Malayalam  drama,  on his 80th  birthday.

Nritholsavam

Changampuzha  Samskarika Kendram holds a three-day dance festival in December every year  with the cooperation and active participation of  dance schools  and cultural groups in and around Edappalli. Involvement of  reputed dancers  make the event  memorable. This apart  CSK  is host to several dance recital  programmes  arranged alone or in connection with  numerous celebrations.

Sargotsavam

This is a festival of   students  from schools in and around Edappalli and Elamakkara areas.  The schools  take great care to showcase  those students  who  are talented  in one or the other field..

This platform  enables to  rope in  all neighbourhood  schools and through them  a large number of  students in the  activities of Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram.  It could eventually acquire a new dimension and grow into a  robust,  symbiotic relationship to mutual advantage.