Come Dec, cultural events galore in city

Kochi: Kochiites who envy the residents of Thiruvananthapuram for the slew of cultural events the capital city hosts year after year have got something to look forward to. Come December, Kochi, the financial capital will wear a festive look, with the authorities planning to make it a cultural hub in the long run with one eye on tourism. Kochi corporation and Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram lead the way as hosts.Bhav, a week-long national dance festival organised by Kochi corporation from Friday, will set the festivities in motion."Bhav will give aficionados an opportunity to enjoy a variety of dance forms ranging from Duffmuttu, Kolkali and Mappilappattu staged by Mahakavi Moyinkutty Vaidyar Mappila Kala Academy. Higher education minister R Bindu will inaugurate the festival at Ernakulam Town Hall on Friday. If will also feature a dance workshop," said Kochi mayor M Anilkumar.Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram will organise the month-long Mahotsavam, the biggest event since the recent renovation of the Changampuzha Park at Edappally from Dec 1. Leading artists will perform as Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi, Mohiniyattam and Kadhaprasangam will be staged."We will usher in the New Year with the cultural feast. Minister Bindu will inaugurate the event," said Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram president P Prakash.Vypeen will host a month-long Folklore Festival from next month. "Various cultural, arts, and sports events will be held as part of the festival. We have around 350 women in the Vypeen constituency trained by activists of the renowned NGO Plan@Earth. They will organise a Matsya Vibhava Ruchi Mela, where a wide variety of fish delicacies will be on offer from Dec 1 to 3 at Kuzhuppilly Beach. There will be seminars, plays, quiz competitions for students at various schools in the constituency till Dec 31," Vypeen MLA K N Unnikrishnan said.From Dec 22, Marine Drive will host the Cochin Flower Show while Kochi International Book Festival, organised by Antharashtra Pusthakolsava Samithi, will be on from Nov 29 to Dec 12.Kochi corporation will prepare a cultural calendar, listing the round-the-year programmes, their dates and venues. "We are joining hands with the Mahatma Gandhi University's International Affairs Department to prepare the calendar," Anilkumar said.Changampuzha Samskarika Samithi plans to make Changampuzha Mahotsav an annual event on the lines of the Surya Festival in Thiruvananthapuram. "Enthusiasts will find it a lot easier once the calendar is ready and uploaded online. This will eventually help us make Kochi a hub of cultural activities," the mayor said.