More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the month-long Onam celebrations being organised by the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) at the end of this month.
Kicking off on August 30, the biggest festival on the calendars of Keralites around the world is set to have an array of events celebrating the Indian state’s rich heritage and vibrant traditions.
“Keralites in 183 countries will be coming together to celebrate Onam in one way or another,” BKS president P V Radhakrishna Pillai said yesterday at a Press conference to announce this year’s calendar of events.
“Around 100 artists are expected to perform during the month-long event.”
The annual Onam celebrations in Bahrain, ‘Sravanam 24’, are open to all residents and citizens and are being organised by a team of 250 members led by general convener Varughese George.
Onam is a vibrant harvest festival celebrated in Kerala during which people decorate their homes, enjoy elaborate feasts and participate in cultural events like musical performances and folk dances.
“The festivities are open to everyone, not just members of our community, and we are expecting ministers and dignitaries to grace the occasion,” BKS general secretary Varghese Karakkal added.
Chief guest for the celebrations will be West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose.
Guests of honour include Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar as well as two Indian members of the Legislative Assembly, representing Kerala, M Vincent and C R Mahesh.
The BKS celebrations will begin on August 30 with pillaronam, featuring traditional games and feasts for children.
On September 5, the ceremonial flag-hoisting ceremony, called kodiyettam, will officially kick off the festival, which will run until September 27.
A major highlight will be ghoshayathra on September 13, showcasing Kerala’s cultural diversity through a grand procession, followed by the mega thiruvathira on September 14, a traditional group dance organised by the BKS Ladies Wing, celebrating unity and tradition.
Amongst the musical festivities will be a concert by renowned artist G Venugopal on September 19.
South Indian nightingale K S Chithra will perform alongside Madhu Balakrishnan, Anamika and Nishant on September 20.
On the same day, BKS will also pay homage to famous Indian short story writer T Padmanabhan, who will be celebrating 70 years in creative writing.
The celebrations will come to an end with the well-known onasadhya (feast) on September 27, serving approximately 5,000 people with traditional Kerala dishes prepared by Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, reflecting the region’s rich culinary heritage.
The event will be invite-only, based on prior registration.
“This year’s celebrations will be relatively muted as our community is still reeling from the Wayanad landslide tragedy, and part of the proceeds from Onam will be going to help victims recover from the devastating losses,” Mr Pillai added.
“We have already announced the first instalment of one lakh rupees (BD450) and will be exploring ways to help those in need.”
All the BKS Onam events will take place at its premises in Segaiya.
More details are available @bksamajam on Instagram and Facebook.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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