Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Showcasing Kerala’s cultural heritage

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

MARKETING TOURISM: The year-long cultural festival will focus on traditional art forms of the State.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism has chalked out a year-long cultural festival, ‘Utsavam,’ featuring the traditional art forms of Kerala, including dance and dance-based performances, as part of steps to market the destination among the tourists.

The event ensures the participation of the local bodies, non-governmental organisations, tourism clubs, youth clubs and the local communities who will be involved in the selection of the art forms and venues.

Kerala Tourism sources told The Hindu that the cultural festival would be the first of its kind to be organised in the State with the support of the Government and the local community. The expenditure for the event is estimated at Rs.2 crore. The District Tourism Promotion Councils will be the executing agencies for the event.

Already, 36 centres have been identified for staging the programmes with 30 programmes to be held at each venue. The centres identified include two each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts, three each in Kottayam, two each in Idukki, Ernakulam and Palakkad, Malappuram and Kannur (three each) and two each in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. More than 1,000 programmes will be staged during the festival.

Kerala Tourism will send the cultural calendar detailing the venues, dates and performances to tour operators and agencies abroad. Those interested in visiting Kerala and knowing more about an art form can find out the details from the calendar and plan their visits accordingly.

The performances will include lecture-demonstration sessions.

The cultural calendar will feature 50 art forms, ranging from folk art to ritual art, sources said. The senior most artistes in various fields will be honoured at the programmes.

Sources said the event would help the State gain an upper hand in the cultural tourism sector. Besides, it will help the traditional folk arts as well as the classical art forms that are fading into oblivion.

The younger generation of Kerala will also get to know the glorious cultural heritage of the State.

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