THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Neyyar Mela-2015, the gala shopping and entertainment festival being held at Neyyattinkara, will come to a close on Sunday. Office-bearers of the third edition of the mela said the event has been drawing 6,000-7,000 visitors every day since the inaugural on August 21.
The Neyyattinkara town is decked up in beautiful illumination and decorations, attracting people from far-off places to spend the evenings. A 5-km radius of the mela venue has been illuminated.
The mela has scores of stalls, which range from food courts, curio, home appliance and handicraft shops and many more. Exhibition-cum-sale of Kudumbashree products and ornamental fishes is also organised.
Other highlights of the event are a science exhibition with stalls of various government departments and semi-government organisations, work experience fair of school students and medical camps.
The centre of attraction is a tribal village recreated on the banks of a nearby river. Visitors can reach the village through a temporary bridge set up over the river.
The guests can feel the tribal hospitality from the various services offered in the village. It includes an ethnic food court and tribal medicinal treatments like herbal steam bath. A tree house (‘erumadam’) is also set up in the village.
The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi stall, where artisans make pots the traditional way, is another big draw. Beautiful clay pots and utensils are also put on sale here.
The stall put up by CSI Medical College, Karakonam, including a mock operation theatre, is another crowd-puller. Visitors here are given information on the various types of surgical methods and standard operation procedures followed in the theatre. A mural painting exhibition and horse-riding facility are other attractions of the mela.
Various medical institutions in the capital like RCC and major private hospitals are conducting health awareness programmes and seminars at the mela venue.
Cultural programmes are being held on the open air stage from around 9 am to 9 pm. Various schools and residents’ associations in Neyyattinkara taluk and professional troupes stage programmes.
Office-bearers of the event said the visitors to the mela are increasing with each edition. The mela is organised by the Neyyattinkara area committee of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi in association with the municipality.
“The mela was started to retain the Onam sales in Neyyattinkara which were being lost to the city. Now, after the mela has started, we could even attract customers from the city and other far-off places,” said mela’s media committee chairman M Rajmohan.
He said more entertainment and recreation facilities will be put in place in the next edition.
Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan is expected to inaugurate the valedictory of the event on Sunday. Prizes, including car and other valuables, will be distributed to the winners of the mega draw on the day.