Atham celebrations organised by Thripunithura Municipality have been scaled down in the wake of heavy rain that lashed the district.
However, the Atham procession would be held on Wednesday as it is part of the traditional heritage, said R. Chandrika Devi, chairperson of the Municipality. Preparations for the procession were held on Tuesday as the Atham flag was handed over by Anujan Thampuran, the senior-most member of the erstwhile Kochi royal family, to the chairperson at the Hill Palace in a ceremony. The flag was taken to Atham Nagar at the Government Boys High School ground in a rain-drenched procession led by the chairperson and municipal councillors.
The ghoshayatra or the procession this time will have just one elephant, a scaled-down group of ethnic art forms and melam artists. The colourful kavadis will be missing this time. Performances of students and other cultural fete of schools will be held as planned if the rain do not hamper the show.
Tableaux will be displayed as participants have been preparing for it for long, said the chairperson. Cultural shows in the evening planned for the 10-day celebration had been scrapped in an earlier decision by the municipality.
