Grand onam week celebrations to begin on September 3; CM Pinarayi Vijayan to inaugurate state-level festivities
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the state-level festivities of the Onam week celebrations on September 3 at 6 pm at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Kanakakkunnu. The state government’s Onam week celebrations will be held from September 3 to 9, with cultural programmes planned across the capital city and other districts.
Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty said the celebrations will feature music, dance, percussion ensembles, and other performances. The events, organised by the Department of Tourism, aim to be more extensive than previous years.
Filmmaker and actor Basil Joseph and Tamil actor Jayam Ravi (Ravi Mohan) will be the chief guests. Following the formal event, a music night will be staged at Nishagandhi.
The official flag hoisting ceremony will be held at Kanakakkunnu on August 31 at 5 pm. The Onam Trade Fair will also be inaugurated the same day at 2 pm at Kanakakkunnu. On September 2, a special Tug of War will be held at Central Stadium at 5 pm featuring MLAs, corporation and panchayat members, Secretariat staff, and journalists.
33 venues across Thiruvananthapuram, including Central Stadium, Poojappura Grounds, Greenfield Stadium, Shankhumukham, Bharat Bhavan, Gandhi Park, Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan, and the Museum Compound, will host various cultural performances, said the minister. Thousands of artists, will take part. Special events are also planned at Varkala and Nedumangad.
The lighting decorations across the capital city and the media centre will be inaugurated on September 2 at 6:30pm . An Athapookkalam competition will be held at Jawahar Balabhavan, Vellayambalam, on the same day.
Pramod Payyannur and G S Pradeep will curate various programmes at Nishagandhi. Music concerts by composer Sharath, Mano, Chinmayi, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sithara Krishnakumar, and a mega show by actor Suraj Venjaramoodu will also be staged there.
Musical performances by singers including Biju Narayanan, Kallara Gopan, Sudheep Kumar, Vidhu Prathap, Najeem Arshad, Ramya Nambeesan, Rajesh Cherthala, Nithya Mammen, Pushpavathy and Naresh Iyer will take place across different stages. Various music band performances, comedy shows, and dance programmes will also be conducted. Media houses will also host their own entertainment shows at Central Stadium and Poojappura Grounds.
The week-long festivities will conclude with a grand cultural procession on September 9, starting from Vellayambalam to East Fort, with a flag-off at Manaveeyam Veedhi.
The Onam celebrations in other districts will be coordinated by the State Tourism Department in collaboration with district administrations and District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPCs).
Tourism and Public Works Minister P A Mohammed Riyas will preside over the inaugural function. Other dignitaries including Minister G R Anil, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, MPs, MLAs, Mayor Arya Rajendran, District Panchayat President D Suresh Kumar and top tourism officials will attend the inauguration.