Key festival venues draw crowds

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEP. 2. Despite the low-key nature of the Tourism Week celebrations this year due to the Government's funds crunch, the key festival venues in the State capital city witnessed a sizable crowd turnout today.

People in large numbers turned up to enjoy the `ganamela' by the playback singer, Mr. Jayachandran, at the Poojappura ground.

Golden oldies sung by the veteran singer, such as "Manjalayil mungi thorthi...", "Neelagiriyude sakhikale...", "Chandrikayil aliyunnu...." and the award winning song from the film `Niram', "Prayam nammil..." went down well with the audience. Some youth were seen dancing to the tunes of the songs.

Women turned up in large numbers at the Balabhavan auditorium to see the `Athapoo' and flower arrangement competition organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) and Jawahar Balabhavan.

Many visitors were also seen enquiring about the 22-foot "jumbo athapoo", which was laid out at the Balabhavan on August 29. They were told that it was removed on September 1. A photo of the arrangement had, however, been put up at the venue.

The cultural programmes at the Balabhavan hall by the students of the institution also attracted crowds. The aroma of "Paalada prathaman" being prepared and sold by self-employed women filled the air. The ice-cream stalls and the snacks kiosk at the entrance were also well patronised.

The VJT Hall, where classical music and dances were being performed, was packed, though the audience did not seem to be very attentive to the proceedings. Apparently, most of them were there in the renovated hall to rest their legs during the course of their itinerary through the various venues.

Meanwhile, with just a couple of days left for the conclusion of the Tourism Week celebrations, all eyes are upon the pageantry to be held in the city on September 5.

With the Government deciding to minimise the expenses this year, many programmes including a `ganamela' by top-ranked playback singers, music concerts and folk art shows such as Theyyam, Padayani and Theeyattam had to be abandoned.

The atmosphere at the Kanakakkunnu Palace, which is the centre of attraction during the Onam festivities every year, was different this time. The `Panchavadyam', `Pandimelam' and `Ezhunnallippu' at the entrance of the palace used to draw large crowds including foreigners.

The Suryakanthi auditorium, where the traditional martial arts were performed, also failed to attract visitors. Some of the visitors complained about the quality of the martial art forms presented during the last few days. The "Naattarangu" at the Suryakanti where the `Thottampaattu' and `Vilppaattu' were performed also failed to attract viewers.

With the Government deciding to limit the programmes to five venues in the city, the people in the suburban areas have been denied the opportunity of watching the programmes at the usual venues such as Neyyar dam and Shankhumukhom.

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