Cultural procession marks end of Onam celebrations

Thiruvananthapuram: Curtains came down on this years Onam celebrations in the state Sunday with a colourful cultural pageant in which hundreds of artistes participated.

Divergent art forms of various states were showcased and thematic floats exhibited.

Governor P Sathasivam flagged off the procession, sponsored by the state Tourism Department, at Vellayambalam in the heart of the city in the evening.

Cutting across age barriers, people thronged both sides of the main roads here, which were tastefully illuminated, to catch a glimpse of the procession.

Over 40 art forms were exhibited during the procession, including bommakkali, chavittu natakam and parichamuttu kali.

Besides chenda melam (percussion), an inevitable part of cultural fiestas in the state, the showcasing of classical and folk ensembles such as pancharimelam, panchavadyam, nadaswaram-thavil, maddalam, udukku, kummattikottu, kompu and the kuzhal pipe also attracted the spectators.

Traditional art forms of states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka were also displayed.

Around 75 tableaux of various public sector undertakings showcasing social themes and government projects also drew cheers from the spectators.

The Indian Space Research Organisations float had working model of NAVIC constellation, Chandrayaan-II and other models.

The Government Medical College here, with the support of Kerala Network of Organ Sharing, presented a float with the theme brain death and organ donation to create awareness about organ donation among people.

Elaborate security arrangements was in place in and around the city for the smooth conduct of the procession. Traffic restrictions were imposed along the procession route.