School arts festival sees its very first online contestant

A poignant letter written by L.K. Siya Fathima, a student of VKP MMRHSS, Padanna (Kasaragod), to Education Minister V. Sivankutty paved way for a rare moment at the State School Arts Festival. She became the first student to compete online.

She won an ‘A’ Grade in Arabic Poster Designing. “My body is being eaten away by pain,” she had written in her letter. “Still, I want to take part in the school festival. Is there any solution you can find for me, sir?”

Soon after Siya won the District-level competition, she was diagnosed with vasculitis, a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own blood vessels. As part of the treatment, doctors were forced to suppress her immune system, making her extremely vulnerable to infections. She was placed under strict quarantine, and travel was ruled out as even a minor infection could turn life-threatening.

Siya’s participation was supervised online by the organisers and judges. “This is one of the most beautiful moments of my life,” she told The Hindu over phone. “I still can’t believe this has really happened. This support has given me the courage to keep fighting my disease and to hold on to my love for art.”