Chilanka Dance and Music Akademi Arnmula, founded by renowned Kathakali artiste, Fact Mohan and his wife, Kalamandalam Sreedevi Mohan, a well known danseuse, is celebrating its silver jubilee this year.
The Akademi is planning a series of cultural programmes as part of its year-long silver jubilee celebrations, Mr Mohan.
Renowned Kathak danseuse, Vidyahari Deshpande, will inaugurate the jubilee fete at a public function to be held at the St Thomas Mar Thoma Church auditorium in Kozhencherry at 10 am on Friday.
Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church, will deliver the benedictory speech and Dr K.Sundaresan, Registrar of Kerala Kala Mandalam Deemed University, will preside over the inaugural function.
Ms J.Lalithambika, former Additional Chief Secretary, will be the guest of honour. K.Sivadasan Nair, K.C.Rajagopalan, MLAs, Babu George, Pathanamthitta District Panchayat president, P.T.Mohanan Pillai, journalist, Varghese Punnen, District Tourism Promotion Council secretary, V.N.Unni, Bharatiya Janata Party district president and Binu Parappuzha, Kozhencherry grama panchayat president, will also address the function.
Mr N.Rajeshkumar of Rainbow Publications will deliver the Acharya Narendra Bhushan commemoration speech on the occasion.
Mathoor Govindankutty, renowned Kathakali artiste, Guru Sidharth Roy Chowdhary, Hindustani vocalist and Alleppey Ranganath, lyricist and music director, will be honoured at the function.
Cultural fest
The studentrs of Chilanka Akademi will stage a variety of cultural programmes at the cultural festival to be followed, said Mr Mohan.
Kathak performance by Ms Deshpande and Kalaripayattu by P.V.Sivakumar Gurukkal and team will be the major attractions of the cultural fest on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi will stage a play, `Natakavandi’, in connection with the 150th birth anniversary of Rabeendranath Tagore on Saturday afternoon.
Students of Chilanka Akademi will perform Mohiniyattom, Bharathanatyam, and Kuchippudi at the cultural evening that begins, later, at 6.30 pm.
