Overcast skies and rain scare on Saturday did not stop an influx of revellers to the capital to watch the pageantry organised by the Tourism department to mark the end of this year’s week-long Onam celebrations.
The bleak evening woke up to a colourful cultural pageantry that offered vivid glimpses into the diverse heritage of the country and the State, featuring spectacular floats and a variety of classical and folk traditions.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan flagged off the cultural pageantry at 5 p.m. at Manaveeyam Veedhi, marking the finale of the festival celebrations that enthralled people across the State since last Sunday. Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas handed over the traditional wind instrument ‘Kombu’ to the main artiste, setting the rhythm for the spectacle to wend its way along the thoroughfares of the city.
Kerala Tourism’s over-100-meter-long float ‘Garden of Lights’, jointly created by Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, Eco Tourism, and Adventure Tourism, hogged the limelight at the pageantry. The women’s bike rally of RT Mission was part of its woman-friendly tourism initiative.
Around 3,000 artistes participated in the pageantry, featuring 60 floats. As many as 10 art forms from other States and around 80 artistes from States outside joined the procession, which concluded at East Fort, after moving through the heart of the city from Vellayambalam.
Speaking after inaugurating the closing ceremony of the celebrations at the Nishagandhi auditorium, Mr. Riyas said the government had envisaged a ₹6-crore-worth project for the development of the historic Kanakakunnu Palace, built during the reign of King Sri Mulam Thirunal (1885-1924). The project included setting up of a museum and an auditorium at Kanakakunnu.
“The palace will be transformed into an active tourism destination and a place for enjoying night life,” he added. The huge success of Onam celebrations underlined the harmony and secular attitude of Keralites, the Minister said.
Actors Shane Nigam, Neeraj Madhav, and Antony Varghese (Pepe) attended the closing ceremony, where the performance of Harisankar’s music band was the highlight. Prizes to the winners of various competitions held as part of the Onam celebrations were given away at the valedictory function.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the celebrations on August 27, setting the stage for a variety of classical, folk, ethnic, and popular art forms to come alive in multiple venues in the State capital and districts across the State for a week, based on the core theme ‘Onam the symphony of harmony’. The festival elicited huge public response.
