THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The week-long Onam celebrations organised by the state government will conclude with a colourful cultural pageantry in the state capital on Monday evening. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off the cultural procession at 5 pm at Manaveeyam Veedhi, marking the finale of the festival that enthralled people across the state since last Tuesday.
Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty, Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, Minister for Civil Supplies G R Anil, Transport Minister Antony Raju, and pageantry committee chairman D K Murali MLA will be present.
The show will offer vivid glimpses into the diverse artistic and cultural heritage of the country and the state, featuring spectacular floats and a variety of classical and folk traditions, Sivankutty told a press conference here on Sunday. D K Murali, Tourism director P B Nooh, District Collector Geromic George, and City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar were also present at the press meet. The pageantry will feature 76 floats and 77 art forms, 10 of which will be from other states. The show will wind up at East Fort, after wending its way through the heart of the city from Vellayambalam.
Mounted police, police and military bands and NCC cadets displaying pearl-studded parasols will line up in the show. There will be floats of central and state governments, quasi-government entities as well as local self-government and co-operative institutions.
The chief minister, his cabinet colleagues and legislators will view the procession from a pavilion to be erected in front of the University College. Special arrangements have been made near the Public Library for children from the Child Welfare Committee and inmates of the Care Home under the Social Justice Department.
The tourism minister will inaugurate the valedictory function at Nishagandhi at 7 pm. Sivankutty will preside over the function and actor Asif Ali will be the chief guest. Prizes to the winners of various competitions held as part of the celebrations will be presented at the function.
Elaborate security arrangements and necessary traffic regulations have been made for the smooth progress of the procession, and for people to view it in a hassle-free manner. A holiday has been declared for educational institutions in the city after 3pm on the day.
The chief minister inaugurated the celebrations on September 6, setting the stage for a variety of classical, folk, ethnic and popular art forms to come alive in multiple venues in the state capital and districts across the state for a week, coinciding with the iconic festival of Malayalis. Held after the pandemic-induced break, the celebrations had attracted huge crowds all over the state. The extravaganza also came as a bonanza for tourists visiting the state during Onam.
