Colourful pageantry marks end of Onam celebrations

Bringing the curtains down to the week-long government-sponsored Onam celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram, a colourful cultural pageantry was taken out here on Tuesday, highlighting contemporary issues as well as extolling the achievements made by the State in various spheres, including depicting various aspects of Kerala’s rich culture and history.  

Though the weather agency forecasted inclement weather in the capital, the sun shone bright throughout the day, and thousands of people turned up on either side of the main thoroughfare to the East Fort to watch as the spectacle of around 150 floats that moved through the streets of the city, showcasing the best of Kerala’s classical, folk and ethnic cultural expressions along with major strides made by the state in socio-economic domains.

Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society’s float, which encourages women-friendly tourism and village tourism, was a highlight of the procession, while the float made from waste material by the Suchitwa Mission was also remarkable in the Onam procession. One of the highlights of the float was the garbage mound replica. The members of the Haritha Karma Sena, who are saving Kerala from the eventuality of a burning garbage mountain, lined up on the float, which won the first prize in the non-governmental category.

Flagged off by Governor

Earlier, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar flagged off the cultural procession at Manaveeyam Veedhi, in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.  

This year, Onam celebrations were organised on a larger scale, featuring thousands of artists. A special drone show was another highlight of the celebrations. Around 10,000 artists, including those from other States, showcased their artistic talents in the colourful Onam programmes. The procession strictly followed the green protocol, and arrangements were made for people to view the show from different points.

Addressing the valedictory of the celebrations, helmed by the Tourism department at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said “Onam Orumayude Eenam, The Real Kerala Story” was the theme of this year’s Onam celebrations. “The way we celebrate Onam shows that our unity cannot be disrupted by divisive forces”, said Mr. Riyas. “This year we made sure that our Onam celebrations received international attention, as we brought tourists from around sixteen countries to experience how Malayalis celebrate Onam,” the Minister said.

Minister for General Education and Labour V. Sivankutty presided over the valedictory function.  The closing ceremony was followed by a concert by singer Vineeth Sreenivasan.