The week-long Onam celebrations organised by Kerala Tourism will come to an end on Monday evening with a cultural pageantry that will be taken out along the thoroughfares of the State capital from Vellayambalam to East Fort.
Governor P. Sathasivam will flag off the procession at a special pavilion that will be erected at the Manaveeyam Road near the Keltron junction at 5 p.m. Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari will be the chief guest on the occasion.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar said nearly 3,000 artists would take part in the colourful pageantry to exhibit around 150 art forms from across the country. The procession will be led by a ‘chenda melam’, involving 100 artists, accompanied by performers exhibiting ‘Velakali’, a traditional martial dance.
Showcasing the cultural heritage of Kerala, the pageantry will feature elements of the Thrissur Pooram, Uthralikkavu Pooram and Mamankam, among others. The art forms of the State which will be exhibited at the pageantry will include Kathakali, Mohiniyattom, Theyyam, Yakshagana, Kalaripayattu, Duff Muttu, Arbana Muttu, Margamkali, Parichamuttukali, Chavittu Natakam, Arjuna Nrittam, Vattakkali, Parunthaattam, Kummatti, Padayani, Garudan Parava, Pulikali, Karadikali, Thambolamelam, Bommayattam, Pakkaranaattam and Perumbaramelam, Mayilattam, Ammankudam, Pampamelam and Naganrittam.
From other States
According to pageantry committee chairman Varkala Kahar, MLA, art forms from the other States will also be exhibited to provide a pan-India feel for the programme.
These will include Kaliyattam from Puducherry, Sambalpuri from Odisha, Mathuri tribal dance from Telangana, and Siddhi Dhamal from Gujarat.
There will also be other items such as African dance and drums, Western music and B-boying street dance, Jump-rope skipping, Chinese Dragon, Cartoon characters, stilt dance, and clowns. The other prominent displays will be Kerala Police’s horse cavalcade, CRPF band music, Poothan-Thira relating to the erstwhile Valluvanad fiefdom.
90 floats
There will be a record number of 90 floats with 39 among them being organised by government departments and agencies. There will also be participation from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), public sector undertakings, private institutions, banking institutions, and the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC).
The tableaus will focus on several contemporary issues of the State including organic farming, organ donation, movement against consumption of liquor and drugs, the Startup Village, areas related to the Tourism sector such as Ayurveda, adventure tourism, Muziris Heritage project and Responsible Tourism; waste management and the menace of stray dogs.
The float that is adjudged the best will win a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000. The second and third prize winners will receive Rs.50,000 and Rs.25,000 respectively, Mr. Kahar said.
Following the pageantry, Mr. Gadkari will inaugurate the valedictory ceremony that will be held at the Nishagandhi auditorium.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar, Mr. Kumar, Shashi Tharoor, MP, K. Muraleedharan, MLA, Mr. Kahar, and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K. Chandrika will also participate in the function.
Government offices and educational institutions will remain closed from 3 p.m. on Monday in view of the pageantry. Tourism Secretary P.I. Sheik Pareeth and General Administration Department Secretary K.R. Jyothilal were also present at the press conference.
