MALAPPURAM: Kerala Peruma-Maitri Mela, a cultural gathering being pitched as an alternative to the “BJP-RSS sponsored” Mahamagha Mahotsavam held in January, will be organised on the banks of the Bharathapuzha at Thirunavaya from May 15 to 24.
The event, being conducted by a group of activists and writers, aims to uphold secular and inclusive cultural values, its organisers said on Wednesday.
The 10-day meet would feature art forms promoting unity and humanity, seminars highlighting the historical and cultural legacy of Kerala, especially Malabar, and presentations of traditional cultural practices as well as interfaith Maitri meetings, they said.
Poet K Satchidanandan, who is part of the organising committee, had announced the event through a Facebook post earlier. In it, he had described the mela as “an alternative to the BJP-RSS sponsored Kumbh Mela in Thirunavaya.”
Organising committee member K S Hariharan told the TNIE that the primary objective of the event is to help the younger generation understand the real history and culture of Thirunavaya and Malabar.
“The Maitri Mela will begin on Friday with a painting fest. This will be followed by seminars, discussions and lectures on the history of Thirunavaya, Mamangam and related cultural traditions. There is a growing tendency in society to forget or erase important historical facts. Through these seminars and lectures, we aim to revive that forgotten history,” he said.
Hariharan said Thirunavaya once served as a major centre of trade and administration in the region. “Mamangam itself emerged from the administrative importance of Thirunavaya,” he said. He added that there was no historical evidence to suggest that the Kumbh Mela had ever been held in Kerala. “Swami Chidananda Puri (the founder of Advaithashramam in Kozhikode) had earlier clarified that Kumbh Mela was traditionally held only at a few locations in India, and Kerala was never part of it,” Hariharan said.
The inaugural function on Friday will be attended by Satchidanandan. Writer and columnist P Surendran will hoist the flag for the Maitri Mela at Thirunavaya on Thursday.
