Thiruvananthapuram: Against the backdrop of 21caparisioned elephants, hundreds of "muthukudas" carried by CRPF personnel and "thiruvathirakali" by women around a giant floral carpet laid in the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium here, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan lighted a traditional lamp on Sunday evening to kick off Kerala Tourism's Statewide Onam celebrations.

The imposing St. Joseph's Cathedral, the Palayam Mosque and the Ganapathy Temple in the vicinity provided the perfect setting for the inaugural function that was organised for the first time outside Kanakakunnu Palace, the hub of the celebrations. Over 10,000 people thronged the stadium to witness the inaugural function.

Mr. Achuthanandan, who arrived at the stadium, was greeted with thalappoli by women dressed in traditional attire. On reaching the makeshift dais, Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan greeted him by presenting a "ponnada" to commence the function.

In his inaugural speech, Mr. Achuthanandan said the Government made the celebrations a people's festival by giving more representation to the people. The Chief Minister called upon the people to work for the prosperity of the State and a corruption-free society. Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, who was the chief guest at the function, said the harvest festival is celebrated by Malayalis all over the world. "It is a worldwide festival that binds Malayalis together," he said.

Mr. Balakrishnan, who presided, said the Government would try to take the celebrations to the village level with the help of local bodies from the next year. The Government would take steps to make the celebrations truly a people's festival by ensuring more participation of the people.

Poorapookkalam

Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar; MLA and chairman of programme committee V. Sivan Kutty; Chairman of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Cherian Philip; E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Tourism, and Director Kerala Tourism B. Suman were present.

Later, Mr. Achuthanandan hoisted the festival flag to mark the commencement of the mega show "Poorapookkalam," conceived and directed by film director T. K. Rajeev Kumar. As many as 1,000 artistes participated in the event which showcased the art, dance forms and rich cultural heritage of the State.

To the accompaniment of "Panchavadyam" performed by over 100 artistes, Kathakali was performed on stage. "Velakali," "Pulikali," "Theyyam," "Kavadi," "Padayani," "Bhutanthira" and "Kettukazcha" turned the venue into a riot of colours. The "Kudamaattom" and fireworks display converted the stadium into a mini pooram ground.

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