The Kozhikode District Panchayat will organise a folk arts festival at Chathamangalam soon to encourage the folk artisans of the district. District panchayat president Babu Parasseri said at the valedictory function of the two-day Folklore Day celebrations organised by the Kerala Folklore Academy here on Tuesday that the festival would help ensure that the folk art forms were kept alive.
The district panchayat also had plans to organise a theatre festival that would nurture new playwrights and offer a staging space to good plays that develop from them. A festival of traditional games was another event in the offing from the district panchayat, Mr. Parasseri said. Chairman of Folklore Academy C.J. Kuttappan, secretary A.K. Nambiar and folklorist Raghavan Payyanad spoke.
Eruthu Kali, Mangalam Kali, Mulam Chenda, Irula Nritham, Kakkarissi Natakam, Nokku Vidya Pavakali, Rajasooyam Kolkali and Margamkali were presented.
Twelve folklore artistes were honoured. They are Padman Pantheerankavu (Mukhathezhuthu), Ariyayi Kunnummal Kandiyil (Nattippattu), Narayana Peruvannan, Kakkur Krishnankutty, Gangadhara and K.C. Peethambaran (Thirayattam), Cheriyamma C.K. (Maranpattu/ Manthravadappattu), Khalid Gurukkal, Madhavan Pullur (Kolkali), Sreedharan Chooloor (Marma Chikitsa/ Thirayattam), Kottakkal Bhaskaran (Thuyilunarthupattu/ Thudikottu) and Aboobakkar Vellayil (Mappila Pattu).
