On Monday, scores of contract workers scrambled to make the final preparations for the week-long Keraleeyam jamboree that commences on November 1.
The frenzy of last-minute labour and anxiety of meeting a fast-approaching deadline was evident in artists, workers and officials as they raced to complete installations, string up illumination and prepare the venues ahead of the carnival.
Top bureaucrats and Ministers toiled overtime to ensure that the disparate parts of the festival unfolded seamlessly.
The celebration aspires to spotlight Kerala’s ethnic, cultural, culinary and socio-political uniqueness.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the fete would showcase Kerala’s evolution from a feudal and casteist moribund princely State into a plural modern polity that cherished, preserved, and relentlessly fought for egalitarian, secular and democratic values.
The festival will unfold in 42 venues on either side of the arterial Kowdiar-East Fort stretch. The organisers will illuminate the segment and close it to traffic from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The police will not allow roadside parking. KSRTC’s electric buses will ply the route cyclically, shuttling visitors free of charge from one venue to another.
The government plans to stage 300 art forms by an estimated 4.100 artists. It has earmarked several venues for trade fairs and flower shows.
Kindling night-life culture
The organisers will set up a food street extending from Manaveeyam Veedhi to East Fort. The roadside food festival will feature a range of ethnic dishes, ranging from wayside eatery fare to five-star cuisine. Mr. Vijayan said the festival would help kindle a nightlife culture in the capital.
Some art installations will double as selfie points for visitors. A moonlit venue at Tagore Theatre grounds will double as a dance floor.
The Chalachitra Academy will conduct a film festival by screening 100 films, some restored classics, in various city theatres.
The government has organised seminars on various subjects that have a bearing on Kerala’s development. Subject experts, researchers and thinkers of international standing will lead the deliberations. The government will livestream the discussions.
The city police have divided the festival area into four zones for better law enforcement. Plainclothes officers and surveillance cameras will ensure the smooth conduct of the events.
The police have put emergency services on standby. They have set up two Special Police Control rooms at Kanakunnu Palace to keep a close watch on the crowds.
A galaxy of foreign diplomats, film stars, business persons, writers, thinkers and artists will attend the inaugural function at Central Stadium at 10 a.m.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition had criticised the government for splurging on celebrations when the State faced a financial crunch and people were in the grip of a cost of living crisis. Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan said the Opposition would shun the celebrations.
Mr. Vijayan said the Opposition boycott will not deter the public. Families and friends will turn up in large numbers to enjoy the show.
