The city continued to be in a festive mood on ‘Avittom' — the third Onam day — on Tuesday as thousands of people thronged the venues where various cultural programmes are being staged as part of the Onam Week celebrations of the State government.
Folk art forms, music concerts, martial art performances, and plays staged in 18 venues lent colour and diversity to this year's Onam celebrations.
At the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium, singer Vijay Yesudas kicked off the ‘Ilayaraja Nite' programme with the popular song Aadiyushasandhya Poothathivide from the Mammootty-starrer Pazhassi Raja. This mega show was sponsored by ACV. V. Sivankutty, MLA, and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Cherian Philip were among those present.
The grace of Mohinyattom charmed viewers at the Nisagandhi open-air auditorium on the sprawling Kanakakkunnu palace grounds. On stage was Mohini Vinayan. At the nearby Sooryakanthi grounds, the Kerala Music Lovers' Forum organised a ‘gana mela.' Lovers of folk art forms made a beeline for the ‘Thiru Arangu' on the Palace grounds. On display there were art forms including Pooppada Thullal, Mudiyettu and Kuthiyottam. The ‘Nattarangu' stage saw Pakkanarattam, Theyyam and Kambadavukali.
For fans of Carnatic music, Tuesday was an occasion to listen to master Harishankar who hails from the ‘Medayil' family which gifted personalities such as M.G. Radhakrisnan, M. G. Sreekumar and Omanakkutty to the world of music. Harishankar began his concert with a piece set to ragam ‘Nattakkurinji.' The entrance to the Kanakakkunnu palace played host to three other youthful talents. Visitors to the palace were greeted with the ‘thayambaka' performance by Aravind Krishna, Anand Krishna and Rakhitha.
As is often the case, the Theerthapada mandapam played host to a Kathakali performance. Kalamandalam Mukundan and Kottakkal Chandrasekharan led a team that acted out ‘Kalyanasaugandhikam.' An ‘Aksharasloka sadassu' was also held at the venue. At the Museum grounds, the stage was set for a martial arts performance. The Agasthyar Sidha Marma Kalari Sanghom demonstrated the Kalari movements of the Southern school. Different ways of wielding and using the sword and shield, the ‘Kadara' and the ‘Gadha' were demonstrated on the occasion. In the performance staged by the Maruthi Kalari Sangham, 15 Kalari practitioners, including a woman and a foreign national, demonstrated their skills. Tourism Secretary V. Venu was among those who donned the greasepaint for a Marathi play staged at the VJT Hall. At the Poojappura ground, veteran musician Bombay S. Kamal was among those who participated in a ‘gana mela' featuring old Hindi songs.
