KOCHI: For Vedavathi S Mallya of TDHS Mattanchery, school youth festivals are not something new. Since Class I, she has had her fair share of experience in competing and winning in the events she had participated in. However, this year's state school kalotsavam was new. For the event she participated was something she had not tried her hand in at all: Ashtapathi. And she won A grade in it. 

The Class IX student's journey to success was an accidental (or maybe coincidental) one. "Usually, Vedavathi participates in the elocution competition. However, a few students of the school approached her saying if the latter is participating in the event, the others would not.

They felt there was a high chance Vedhavathi would surpass them all," says Jayasri R J, Vedavathi's mother and a teacher at TDHS.
Not one to take offence, the 14-year-old took it in the perfect sportsman spirit. And decided to participate in the Ashtapathi competition for which no one from the school was participating.

At the state school kalotsavam, she performed an Ashtapathi in Anandabhairavi Raga composed by Kuzhuppally Jayakumar Shenai, a retired music teacher at TDHS. 
"Jayakumar had originally taught the composition to Vedhavathi's cousin Sidhi Vinayaka Mallya. It was Sidhi who taught Vedavathi this composition. Another cousin of hers, Divyesh Pai, brought an edakka and trained her in it," says her mother.

Having trained in classical music for over nine years, the training was comparatively easy. "Having a clear grasp over the theory and techniques in classical music, she could easily identify, understand and learn the ragam and thalam. Belonging to a family that is musically inclined just helped her case," says Jayasri. It took her only a week to learn and perfect the hymns.

Daughter of Jayasri and Cochin Thirumala Devaswom employee Satish Kumar Mallya, Vedavathi is also a Hindi praveen which makes her already eligible to teach Hindi in the UP level. As for the future, she hopes to continue her studies in classical music. "She also wants to focus on bharatanatyam. However, she is not planning to compete in it," her mother says with determination. 

Having had nine years of kalotsavom experience in her blood, Vedavathi has formulated a motto for her herself: Participate. Do your best. It is not necessary that you need to win. Take it all in the spirit of the game.