Mehdi Hassan’s  Gulon mein rang bhare… is one of the most loved ghazals of all time. Few songs soothe the mind the way this gem which was first recorded six decades ago by the Pakistani maestro.

On Wednesday afternoon, music lovers at the packed Town Hall listened in rapt attention when a young girl sang the ghazal. C.P. Devananda of GHSS, Anakkara (Palakkad), did a rather good job, too.

There were fine performances from singers such as Nandana Biju (St. Augustine’s GHSS, Muvattupuzha) and Zehra Sherin (MMPS, Palakkad). They made the ghazal (HSS) one of the highlights of the second day of the 61st Kerala School Kalolsavam.

If ghazal made its debut at the festival only in 2013 – and has gained popularity quickly – light music has been there from the beginning and has always been a crowd-puller. The light music contests (high school) were a hit on this day too.

Some of the girls caught the ear with their voice, but others could not get it quite right. Even the selection of the songs could have been better. Strangely, nobody sang the incredibly melodious  Mridu mandahaasam..

The day was, of course, about much more than music. In fact, the largest crowd – estimated to be 18,000 – turned up at Captain Vikram Maidan for Oppana (HS). Another perennial favourite at the festival, drama, was another success story. Theatre fans enjoyed the superb efforts put in by the young actors at Zamorin’s HSS.

Folk dance, Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam, Poorakkali, Kolkali, Panchavadyam, mono-act, Thullal, mimicry and Chakyarkoothu also delighted the art lovers.

Meanwhile, the battle is hotting up for the Gold Cup. At the time of filing this report, Kannur was leading the table with 443 points, while host Kozhikode was second with 440. They were followed by the reigning champion Palakkad (437), Thrissur (426) and Ernakulam (412).