Thiruvananthapuram: The capital city is gearing up for Onam Tourism Week, with preparations for the festivities organised by the tourism department entering the final stage. The celebrations will be inaugurated at Nishagandhi Auditorium at 5.30pm on Monday by CM V D Satheesan, marking the beginning of a week of cultural programmes and festivities across the capital.Tourism, culture and cinema minister P C Vishnunath will preside over the inaugural ceremony, with actor Kunchacko Boban attending as the chief guest. Health and devaswom minister K Muraleedharan, transport minister C P John, leader of the opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, mayor V V Rajesh and MP Shashi Tharoor are also expected to attend.The inaugural ceremony will feature a dance performance by actor Shobana. More than 340 cultural programmes will be staged at 35 venues across the capital until Aug 30, involving around 3,000 artists on and off stage. Across Kerala, more than 8,000 artists are expected to participate in the celebrations.The festival has been designed to showcase Kerala’s cultural diversity, traditions, artistic heritage and tourism potential. Traditional and folk-art forms have been given special prominence, with performances scheduled daily from 6pm to 9pm between Aug 25 and 30.Nishagandhi will host performances including Mudiyettu, Padma Shri Ramachandra Pulavar’s Tholpavakoothu, Padayani, Arjunanritham, Poothanum Thirayum and a folklore fusion programme. Kanakakkunnu will also host a range of cultural programmes.Four zones — business, future, art and culture, and food — have been created at the Kanakakkunnu festival area, featuring interactive entertainment and experiential programmes. Live sessions will offer visitors an opportunity to learn about art forms such as Tholpavakoothu, Kathakali makeup and Chendamelam.The celebrations will conclude with an Onam procession, beginning at Manaveeyam Veedhi at 5pm and ending at East Fort. Sixty-two govt departments will participate, with more than 100 art forms, including folk performances from different states. A special pavilion will be arranged for foreign tourists.Extensive police arrangements are being made for crowd management, traffic control and parking. The celebrations will follow Green Protocol, with cleanliness measures implemented in association with Suchitwa Mission.With culture, heritage and modern entertainment brought together, the capital is set to remain in a festive mood throughout the week.
