Ethnicity comes to life

Cultural Pot-pourri

The week-long ‘Festival of Kerala’, that was inaugurated at the Innovative Film City recently, is all set to showcase various facets of the state, including its art, craft, traditional dances and food.  

The festivities began with a performance by noted playback singers M G Sreekumar and Rimi Tomy.

There were also a couple of bharatanatyam, mohiniyattam and kuchipudi performances by popular artistes from across Kerala. The Kalamandalam group and the bamboo symphony, were the highlights of the festival. In the bamboo symphony, all the instruments that were used were made from bamboo.

Through their music, the musicians hoped to convey the message of conservation and protection of the environment.

The other performances that have been lined up include Theyyam, Puliyattam, Adishakthi Pulikali Nadan and Kalashetram.

 There will be Sarga Keralam, an audio-visual presentation that will be based on the poetic, artistic and cultural traditions of Kerala.

 “It is a blend of the art forms of Kerala, poems in Malayalam that have survived the passage of time, folk songs and brief representations of historic struggles witnessed in the State,” says Kanakadas, the presenter. The last few days of the festival will have Thayambaka and Kalaripayattu performances.

Another attraction of the festival is the handicraft and cultural village, which is an effort to bring together the diverse cultures and ethnic values of Karnataka and 11 other Indian states under one roof.

The participating states are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Assam. This will go on till the end of January.  People will be treated to the ethnicity of each state in the form of street plays, cultural performances, fairs, stalls and food. Each state will be highlighted for a period of one week where the state’s craftsmen can display, demonstrate and sell their handicrafts.