The district administration will celebrate Onam this year with an array of programmes. The celebrations got off to a start on Wednesday with a celebrity football match at Corporation Stadium where teams representing the District Collector, Mayor, district panchayat president, and Sports Council locked horns. In the inaugural match, the Collector’s XI defeated the District Panchayat XI while the Sports Council XI defeated Mayor’s XI in the next match. The women councillors of the Corporation and the women members of the district panchayat engaged in a tug-of-war contest, which the latter won.
Folk art
The celebrations will begin on Friday with a procession at 4 p.m. from Mananchira to beach, which is the main venue. Mayura Nrutham, Karinkaliyattam, Vattamudiyattam, Kuthirakali, Kalakali, Paravayattam, Kuttikkummattikali, Pulikali, Pookkavadiyattam and other folk art forms, and tableaux showcasing the culture of the region will be part of the procession.
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Another feature this year is a competition for hotels, taxi and autorickshaw drivers, and policemen, who serve the public well. For the first time, a digital pookkalam competition will be held at Town Hall. A one-day workshop for students and animation professionals at Town Hall, animation exhibition at the Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, and photo exhibition of P. Mustafa are also part of the celebrations.
A musical eve by Anil Das will be held at Tagore Centenary Hall in honour of late the Hindustani musician Sharatchandra Marathe. Kalidasa Kalakendram, Kollam, will stage the play ‘Macbeth.’
The formal inauguration of the celebrations will be held on Saturday evening by Social Welfare Minister M.K. Muneer on the beach.
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