Flavours of Olam to spice up city

TIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A lively bazaar with a smorgasbord of options to make merry awaits you this May, when the city will awaken to a renewed spirit. You get to walk through a labyrinth of stalls, rifle through the myriad and eclectic collection of goodies and take home a  few treasures. ‘Olam’ is here to hie you away to a land that bursts with fun and frolic. As Olam gears up to spice your evenings with music, art, food, and couture, the city will be witness to its first-ever flea-market. A group of youngsters from the city has come together to celebrate the spirit of Thiruvananthapuram and create a platform where the city residents can enjoy to the hilt. Olam will be held on May 5 and 6 from 4 pm to 11 pm at the Sooryakanthi grounds.

For the youngsters, Trivandrum is more of an emotion and they are infusing the same into Olam. “Olam will offer the many entrepreneurs, home bakers, artists, performers, and artisans a space to showcase their creativity,” says Tony Cyriac an engineer and the chief event coordinator of the event.The team which roots for the city says the first edition or the summer edition will kick start in May. A winter edition will also be held this year. The team is currently pouring over the list of vendors they intend to rope in for the event. Olam will have four categories viz. music and entertainment, dedicated food stalls, couture and a space for artists. The food stalls will have home-bakers dishing out yummy treats and live food stalls where food trucks will be set up.

“With Olam, we are trying to empower the many lesser known entrepreneurs and bring together an eclectic mix of talents,” says Anina Elizabeth Jacob, an illustrator with Toonz Media Networks, who dons the role of creative director of Olam. “We are celebrating the spirit of the city through Olam. In fact, we came together for this initiative,” she adds.The team behind Olam comprises architects, engineers, and artists. They flaunt a vibrantly crafted pinwheel. “In two weeks you will see this pinwheel splashed across the city. The pinwheel is a commonplace article at all carnivals. We are bringing it back with Olam,” says an excited Anina.

“We intend to transform the venue into a stellar weekend spot,” Tony says, blowing on the pinwheel. “It was when my cousin came back after attending a flea market and raved about his experience that it struck me on why Thiruvananthapuram should miss out on such events,” recalls Tony. And ever since the idea struck, Tony roped in the core team for the programme.“The concept isn’t new but it is new to Trivandrum. We never had a flea market here. Several vendors from the city would go the other flea markets. We are trying to make a space for them here,” smiles Sreedevi Asok who handles public relations. “We intend to capture the creative energy of Trivandrum,” she says.

In all, 56 stalls will be set up, of which twelve stalls will be on a sharing basis. Even the stalls are going to get a creative makeover, reflecting the personality of the vendors, the team tells you. “This is a flea market where we are trying to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and offer them all an opportunity to showcase their skills. This will be a weekend that everyone can look forward to,” adds Naveen Fernando, the creative director of Olam. “ There is only one aspect that brings us all together, it is the love for Trivandrum. We got united through this idea. Olam is all about creating ripples and creating a trend here. We want to bring something new and exciting to the city” says Shruthi Susan, an architect who is also handling the public relations for Olam. The team of seven also includes Abrar Ali who is the art director and Rithik who is the cultural coordinator.

Olam is set to be an event where creativity, energy, and fun will be bursting at its seams. It could possibly outfox any event you have been to, the team tells you. So this summer the city residents can all key up for an amazing list of activities that team has curated. “So, on those two days, all of us will be celebrating the love for the city,” says Shruthi who cannot contain her excitement.