CHENNAI: On Saturday, it seemed like the winds from Kerala had deviated to the State. Asan Memorial Association celebrated Onam, the festival of prosperity, which also coincided with its 50th anniversary celebrations.
With pookalam and thiruvathirakali competitions organised at the Asan Memorial School, the audience were enthusiastic and receptive of the rich culture of the God’s own country. An array of colours lay splashed on the school floor, as participants of the Onam pookalam contest arranged flowers in a circular pattern to display creative designs, forming a colourful floral carpet.
Thiruvathirakali or Kaikottikali, a traditional dance form of Kerala, was performed in front of Nilavilakku, a ceremonial lamp. The song for the dance is predominantly from the epics, in praise of gods. Shyamala Jayaprakash, general secretary, Asan, said, “This is the first time the competitions were made open to contestants from all Malayali associations of the State. Earlier, it used to be conducted within the school. Pookalam has become a universal art and spread to more areas.”
The pookalam competition saw 11 teams contesting for the first prize of `25,000. Second and third prize winners were given `15,000 and 10,000 respectively. Prizes were bestowed on the basis of popular vote, with `10,000 and `7,000 each. The participants were judged on the basis of the circular form, use of full flowers and so on. K V Premaatha, C Anitha, K Vignesh and M Venkatesan, who formed the team Kannur Cannons won the first prize. Following the floral art, thiruvathirakali was performed by seven teams consisting of eight members in each. Chennai Kairali Association bagged the first prize for the dance recital.