THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: This weekend, gear up to a witness a grand spectacle, as the skies of the Kovalam become dotted with kites of all sizes and shapes. The city is all set to host the second edition of the Barrier Free International Kite Festival organised by the city-based NGO Helping Hands (H2O) in association with the One India Kite team.
The two-day event which kicks off from the city on Saturday will be taken across the entire the state bearing the message of bringing inclusivity in all public spaces. The thrust is on creating a barrier-free and inclusive space for the people with challenges. “It is a step towards ensuring all areas become accessible to people with various challenges,” says Jolly Johnson, founder of H2O.
The organisation had conducted a kite festival last year themed on the same lines which saw the participation of hundreds of differently abled. "This time we are scaling it up by taking the message across the whole of the state," she adds.
As many as 700 differently abled will participate in the beach carnival. Across the state, around 2000 people with special needs and challenges will participate. International kite flyers will be present with the best of their kites as they display their talents and also dole out lessons on kite flying to the differently-abled and those with special needs. Kites made of paper will be kept for sale and anyone can walk in at Kovalam, buy the kite and fly it. The event is replete with workshops on kite flying, games, photography workshops, street magic, band performances and a flea market. The kite flyers will traverse up till the north of Kerala and similar events will be held in the beaches of Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur.
The Summer of '19
It is one occasion to have fun and frolic in the grandeur of a rich array of food and couture as the social media group Eat At Trivandrum (EAT) organises 'Summer of '19', a three-day line up of food, music and lifestyle options. As many as 56 major vendors in the city will participate in the event. The highlight of the event being that it will be accessible to differently-abled and the wheelchair-bound.
“The main inspiration was to organise an event which is inclusive to the differently-abled and the wheelchair-bound. The whole platform has been set in a manner that it is accessible to all. The idea is to ensure that everyone should be able to enjoy the programmes to the fullest,” says Anjana Gopakumar, one of the admins at EAT. The event will feature the biggest food line-up with more than 28 food stalls and more than 16 among them being live food stalls. All varieties of food and drinks along with couture will be featured at the fair. The event will also include three musical performances, with bands Thakara, Amrutham Gamaya and artist Job Kurian performing in the evenings. The programme is being jointly organised by EAT and Sravia Ceremonies.
The event which kicked off on Friday will be on till Sunday. The entry fee has been set as Rs 100.