TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 Tourism India January 2019 IA | Page 16

N E W S / NAT I O NA L
ART AND CULTURE PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN REBUILDING
KERALA: GOVERNOR
SEVEN-DAY-LONG NISHAGANDHI DANCE FESTIVAL
KICKS OFF IN KERALA’S CAPITAL
T
he annual tradition of
enlivening the sprawling
spread of Kanakakkunnu with
the rhythmic chime of the anklets to
the accompaniment of mellifluous
music has kicked off in style at
Thiruvananthapuram on January 20,
2019. .
In a beautiful and symbolic twist,
His Excellency the Governor of Kerala
Justice (Retd) Mr. P Sathasivam
inaugurated the festival by lighting
the traditional lamps carried by seven
dancers on a platter.
Inaugurating the seven-day-long
Nishagandhi Dance Festival, which
will lay feast some of the best and
brightest dance forms from across the
country, the Governor said, “Art and
culture have a major role to play in the
rebuilding of Kerala,” and called upon
stakeholders to leverage them.
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Tourism India January 2019
Due weightage has to be given to
folk and indigenous forms, along with
classical dance, the Governor added.
He gave away the prestigious
Nishagandhi Puraskaram to
Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam
Kshemavathi on the occasion. The
coveted honour, bestowed on top-
notch choreographers in recognition of
their life-long contributions, carries a
purse of Rs 1.5 lakh, a bronze statuette
of sage Bharathamuni and citation.
The Governor also distributed
awards to the best performers of the
recently concluded ‘Vasanthotsavam’
Flower Show 2019.
Mr. Kadakampally Surendran,
Minister for Tourism, Kerala who
presided over the function announced
that Monsoon Rag Awards to celebrate
outstanding performance in music will
be given away from this year.
“This is in keeping with the current
practice of holding the Nishagandhi
Music Festival and Dance Festival as
two separate events,” the Minister said.
Mr. K Muraleedharan MLA, Mr. VK
Madhu, District Panchayath President;
Mr. V K Prasanth, Mayor, Mr. M
Vijayakumar, Chairman, KTDC, Ms.
Rani George IAS, Secretary Tourism
and Culture, and Mr. P Bala Kiran IAS,
Director, Tourism also spoke at the
event.
After the opening ceremony and
a choreographed curtain-raiser, a
Mohiniyattam performance by eminent