Octave 2008 Thiruvananthapuram

The cultural mega fest of north-eastern states, Octave 2008 is currently underway at Nishagandhi festival grounds, Thiruvananthapuram. Artists from eight states display the cultural vibrancy of their land. The festivities are enjoyed by massive crowds.

Day 2 (Sunday) Specialty)

Since it was a Sunday yesterday, I just decided to give the event a try. The first thing you will notice is the different dress styles existing within our country. The girls and boys from the north eastern states are also beautiful, you will stop and take a second look to secretly enjoy the beauty they are gifted with.

The singers from Mizoram also greeted the audience in a unique way, I think like the Japanese do. I have seen Japanese way of greeting others only on TV. It was quite nice to watch the girls lowering their heads and backs as a whole to greet the audience.

After some songs by beautiful singers from Assam and Mizoram, there was a breathtaking display of Tang-Ta, the martial art of Manipur.

Tang-Ta was combined with Kalaripayattu, the martial art form of Kerala. While Tang-Ta performance received applauses and cheers throughout, the Kalaripayattu team received booing during most of their performance.

It is the first time I witness the Manipuri martial art, I am really amused at the agility, control, sharpness and swiftness of the martial art form. No wonder British rulers were afraid of the martial art form of Manipur and banned its practice.

Since Kalaripayattu and Tang-Ta was performed side-by-side, everyone in the audience got a chance to compare the two martial art forms of India. For me, the difference in speed of movement was like the movement of a pregnant cow and that of swift stag.

Though the performers made Kalaripayattu appear far inferior in skill, movement, strength and physical control, it need not be the case.

Both forms of martial arts use swords – the practice of Tang Ta allows swift use of sword, even inside a small room, as swords are moved at quick pace, closer to the body. However, in Kalaripayattu the swords are flashed away from the bearer's body and it normally requires more free space for proper use of the sword.

The belt sword fight was unique to Kalaripayattu, while the balancing of a Tang Ta artist on the sharp edges of 12" spikes (darts) literally took the breath away from the audience of about 10,000.

After seeing the martial arts performance, the only thought I had was the Kalaripayattu team could avoid handheld weapon fights, which were performed badly and immediately received loud boos from the crowd.

The eight day festival is on till Saturday. Artists from Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nagaland exhibit their skills and cultural tradition.

Other attractions include a food court dedicated to North Eastern cuisine, handicrafts stalls and an exhibition of musical instruments.

Aruvikkara Dam, in Thiruvananthapuram

Aruvikkara Dam was once a recognized picnic spot, but is now disregarded by all. Hard to reach here (roads filled with potholes), no amenities (plenty of 'scope' for boating and other activities), & no refreshment (except a DTPC restaurant), you can just come here, relax for a few minutes on the lawn, whine how badly this location is kept and return home with nothing much to think about.



Aruvikkara Dam is just 16 km from Trivandrum city.

Lush Exteriors of Napier Museum Thiruvananthapuram is Half a Hangout

I feel a lack of good hangouts within the city of Thiruvananthapuram. When looking to spend some time idly, there are quite a few places to look for. The sprawling exterior of Napier Museum Thiruvananthapuram is one among them.

On all sides of the famous building is a beautiful garden. The proficiently managed beautiful turf, always receive visitors of all ages. Seeing it over and over again, I have really lost the attraction to the garden and the breeze there. However, when I like to spend some time doing nothing, I reach this place.



The 19th century Indo-Saracenic building wears a magnificent look, especially in the night, with neon lights bathing this building in golden light. The water work before the entry of the building recently saw a revival, probably in response to the Onam celebrations that had consumed the whole city.

Inside the building are rare collections of historic artifacts, curious ivory carvings, a majestic temple chariot, etc. The interior of the building is also naturally cool, even as the exteriors bask under sun. The architecture has a peculiar feature of air circulation that supplies cold air throughout the interiors, while not using any electrical or mechanical systems.

Plastic is strictly prohibited in the premises. A sign board at the entry point warns visitors against bringing plastic carry bags or packages to the premises. It is only nice to stick to the rules to keep the place beautiful.

Onam Celebrations Over, Thiruvananthapuram Back to Realities

Onam celebrations are officially over in Thiruvananthapuram City and the city dwellers now choose to go back the bustles of their careers and professions. School kids have time till Sunday for their celebrations.

It was a great Onam season at Thiruvananthapuram City that comes to a close. I can clearly tell this is the most hassle-free, trouble free, incident-free celebration in the city. Authorities have made all the necessary preparations to manage the mass event a great success.


I could see policemen and women, literally all over the city extending helping hands to the gatherers. There were also teams of firefighters ready near venues of mass attendance like the Nishagandhi, Poojappura ground, etc.

It was just a wandering through the city on the last day of the celebrations, but was not in the mood to watch Magician Samraj in action at Nishagandhi, although I have visited the ground and made some purchases, especially the sweet halwa from Kozhikode.

Curtains Down for Onam Celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram City

Kerala state capital Thiruvananthapuram is about to come off its festival mood, with the week-long celebrations coming to a close. Sixteen official stages of Onam celebrations within the city amused the city folk to no end. Ganamela (music programs), dance programs, Kalaripayattu (martial art form of Kerala), competitions of various kinds, all added to the festivities.

The ghazals at the Press Club hall and the Ganamela at Poojappura ground were the two items I preferred for the day. I was with my friend Suma Kumar while enjoying ghazals by Raghuram, where the audience could be counted to less than 35. My friend had to leave for home at 8.00 pm and I had to leave too.

Then I am all alone and free to wander on my own and I headed over to Poojappura, where Jassi Gift, Sayanora, Vidhu Pratap, Devanand, etc were amusing the crowd that stayed there inspite of a quick lash of rain. Dancing away in merry, the guys were enjoying the music to end.



Today, there is Magic Show by Prof Samraj at Suryakanti Auditorium.

Thiruvonam Day Celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram City

Thiruvonam day is relatively low-note affair in Thiruvananthapuram city, with people still in the mood of hanging out at their homes after the sadya.

I push myself out of my home, into the city, exploring the festivities. After a usual rounds through the Kanakakkunnu and Nishagandhi, I reached the stage before Government Secretariate, where a team of Kalaripayattu experts perform the acrobatics of the martial art. It was real nice to watch 7-8 year old lads performing the different steps of Kalaraippayattu.

One could feel a chill passing through their spine, as he or she watches the performers using the double-edged belt-sword that creates sparks when it come into contact with another sword or with the road.

There was a big audience, including many foreigners vigilantly watching the performance.

I also love Ghazals and a friend of mine passed me message over phone there is Ghazal performance going on at Press Club hall. I quickly reached there. The audience, as expected was very few and I could count the whole audience up to 32. Twenty of them seem to form a closed loop with the singer and her team. There are not many takers for Ghazals in Thiruvananthapuram I guess.

I stayed there for an hour, listening to the simple sound of Ghazals. I think today is another performance of Ghazals in the same venue, but I plan to head over to Vellayani Lake, to witness the country boat race.

Food Festival Thiruvananthapuram Kerala

This onam is going great. Real feasts of dance, music and some yummy five star food items, on the festival grounds of Kerala capital.