The week-long ‘Festival of Kerala’ was kicked off at the Innovative Film City on Tuesday at the recently inaugurated Handicraft and Cultural Village at Bidadi, Bangalore.
According to the press release issued on Tuesday, ‘The Kerala Festival’ was officially inaugurated by the Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay in the presence of other dignitaries including the Chairman of Innovative Film City, Saravana Prasad.
The release added, “The starlit evening was a perfect treat for the audience with noted singers M G Sree Kumar, (National Award-winning playback singer) and Reemi Tomy (playback singer in Malayalam and Telugu cinema) entertaining them with their melodious songs. There were also entertaining dance performances of Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi by renowned artists from various parts of Kerala.
The Innovative Film City’s 90-day Handicraft and Cultural Village was inaugurated on September 30 amid a symphony of performances by artists from across the country. The Handicraft and Cultural Village at IFC is an effort to bring together the diverse cultures and ethnic values of Karnataka and other Indian states under one roof. It aims to showcase and celebrate the culture and tradition of 11 different states including Karnataka.
The release added, “The Handicraft and Cultural Village kicked off with the inauguration of the 'Festival of Kerala' and will continue till October 9th, 2012. This will be followed by the festivals of other states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Assam, Andhra Pradesh amongst others. Speaking on the occasion, Saravana Prasad, Chairman, IFC said, “The festival’s main objective is to propagate the richness of Kerala, and educate the masses about the state’s culture and values. We have brought together the best of the arts and crafts of Kerala and given the artisans an opportunity to showcase their skills to the world.”
Inaugurating the Kerala Festival, the Union Tourism Minister, Subodh Kant Sahay said, “The Handicraft and Cultural Village organised by Innovative Film City is a wonderful initiative. Such kind of festivals bring in a lot of tourism value to the state.” IFC’s Cultural Village will kick off with the Festival of Tamil Nadu from Oct 10 to 17, 2012 followed by Festival of Gujarat (October 19-30, 2012), Festival of Karnataka (November 01-7, 2012), Festival of Andhra Pradesh (November 9-12, 2012), Festival of Rajasthan (Nov 14-20, 2012), Festival of West Bengal (Nov 23-28, 2012), Festival of Assam (Nov 30-Dec 5, 2012), Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (December 07-11, 2012), Festival of Uttar Pradesh (Dec 14-19, 2012) and finally concludes with Festival of Goa (Dec 21- Jan 02, 2012).