Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the State government’s Onam Week celebrations at a function to be held at the Nishagandhi auditorium on Sunday.
Actor Mammootty will be the chief guest at programme, to begin at 6.15 p.m. Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan will present the Onam message. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala will deliver the keynote address.
The traditional ‘Pancharimelam,’ by a 40-member troupe, will be a highlight of the inaugural ceremony. ‘Nanma Niravil Nallonam,’ a film on Onam directed by Mathew Itti, will also be screened. The inaugural ceremony will be followed by a dance and music show, led by actor Manju Warrier and singer Vijay Yesudas.
As part of the celebrations, events will be held across 30 venues in the city and nearby areas. The city streets came alive with illumination on Friday evening. This year, the main road from Kowdiar to Manacad has been decorated with coloured lights. In addition to the celebrations in the capital city, the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is also organising celebrations in each district.
The Information and Public Relations department has opened a media centre at Kanakakkunnu Palace as part of the celebrations. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran inaugurated the media centre on Saturday.
C. Diwakaran, MLA, inaugurated the Onam trade fair and exhibition at the Sooryakanthi grounds on Saturday. Hundreds of stalls of various government departments and other institutions have been opened at the trade fair, which will have display and sales of handicraft items, home appliances, furnitures, books, fancy items and dress materials. There also stalls of Kudumbasree and Fisheries Department.
The Tourism Department organised a Thiruvathirakkali competition at the Bharat Bhavan on Saturday. Teams of the young and the old participated in the competitions. Awards will be presented to the winners of the competition at the valedictory function to be held in Nishagandhi auditorium, on the concluding day of the festival.
The Onam week celebrations will conclude with a colourful procession on September 9. Governor P. Sathasivam will flag off the procession.