Alappuzha, Thursday 21 January 2009: The Kerala University Youth Festival will begin at Cherthala today. Vice-Chancellor A. Jayakrishnan will hoist the flag at 5 p.m. after a colourful folk song procession reaches the main venue, the Vayalar Ramavarma Nagar at the SNMGB Higher Secondary School grounds.

The formal inauguration of the six-day event will be on Friday, with actor Mohanlal slated to light the lamp at the main venue at 5 p.m.

Mohanlal will be accompanied by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, Forests and Environment Minister Binoy Viswom, K.C. Venugopal, MP, Jayakrishnan and others. A procession, in which students from all colleges in the district will take part, will precede the inaugural function. The procession will start at 2 p.m. from the Holy Family School grounds.

Over 5,000 students from about 200 colleges spread over four districts will compete in 62 events, which will be held at eight venues in Cherthala, which is hosting the event after a decade.

Already the town has been decorated with posters, banners, hoardings while publicity programmes, including announcements on a horse carriage, are underway, reception committee chairman and district panchayat president R. Nazar told a press conference here on Wednesday.