THE Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) will officially raise the curtain on Sravanam 2019, its flagship Onam celebrations, with a grand ceremony tonight.
Though festivities began earlier this month, the forthcoming week will witness an array of programmes featuring prominent personalities as guests and performers.
“This is going to be the biggest Onam celebration in the history of BKS and probably the biggest one outside Kerala,” said BKS president P V Radhakrishna Pillai.
So far, the festivities have witnessed thousands of people enjoying the extensive decorations, illuminations, huge welcoming arch and other displays and event organisers are set to welcome thousands more.
Tonight’s event will be inaugurated by Kerala Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and former Kerala minister M A Baby will be the guest of honour.
Renowned south Indian playback singers Hariharan and Madhu Balakrishnan will receive the first ‘BKS Brahmanandan Award’ and ‘Swaralaya Devarajan Award’, respectively.
The event will also honour young Keralite entrepreneurs Vipin Devasia and Shine Joy who will receive the ‘BKS Young Outstanding Entrepreneur Award’ set up to honour young successful businessmen.
Other eminent personalities expected to attend include Kerala Press Academy chairman R S Babu, Swaralaya chairman G Raj Mohan, and Nanavati Hospital senior interventional cardiologist Dr M G Pillai.
Celebrity south Indian singers Mr Balakrishnan, Naresh Iyer, Sithara Krishnakumar and Rakesh Brahmanandan will also be leading a musical night.
Celebrations continue tomorrow with Soorya Fest, a dance and musical extravaganza.
A huge line-up of artistes from India will take part in the event including Shamna Kasim, Aattukal Balakrishnan, Najim Arshad, Siju Kumar, Malavika and Durga Viswanath, to name a few. Former Indian minister Alphons Kannanthanam will be the chief guest of the evening and Indian screenwriter Soorya Krishnamoorthy will be the guest of honour.
On the same day, the first Indo-Bahrain Friendship award will be presented to Pico chairman and Miracle Graphics chief executive and founder Khalid Juman.
A traditional dance competition, ‘Thiruvathira Kali’, will be held on Saturday with more than 10 teams expected to compete.
Former minister K C Joseph will be the chief guest of the event.
‘Oppana’, another traditional dance choreographed by Preman Chalakudy, will be staged on Sunday along with a Western dance show by Aura Arts Centre and a ‘Naadan Paatu’ music show by Sahrudaya Payyannur Naadan Paatu Sangam.
‘Nallonam’ will be staged on Monday featuring a special Onam dance choreographed by Sheena Chandra Das and a Kathaprasangam (a traditional storytelling performance) of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma by Manoharan Pavaratty.
An Indian traditional costume competition has also been scheduled for the same day in which more than 25 families are expected to compete.
Tonight’s festivities will be held at the BKS Diamond Jubilee hall in Segaiya and all events are open to the public.
For more information, call 39494894, 39019935 or 39370929.