Handicrafts Expo at VJT Hall, TVM

VJT Hall in the city is now host to artisans from all parts of India. With over 50 stalls, the handicrafts expo has everything from murals to sofa sets. Artisans from different states in India have their stalls here.


The materials are all made from jute, bamboo, coir, wood and other natural materials. There are also special discounts of up to 10% for select merchandise. There are ornaments, sofa sets made from cane, mirrors with artworks, sculptures, curtains, and a lot more.

Wooden sculptures come in different shapes. They surely will make for a good addition to serious interior decoration buffs. There are metal lamps, murals and variety of other decorative items.

Yeah, sure, there are some cool variety of items like metal lamps studded with semi-precious stones, wood carvings, clothing materials and a good range of decorative stuff for the home.




SMSM Institute is the organizer of the event. It is on till November 9. Visitors can show up between 9 am and 8 pm everyday.

Onam Celebrations in Full Swing

Onam celebrations are in full swing with people getting out of their homes and into the streets, enjoying the illumination works, several dozens of art performances and enjoying the shopping experiences on offer.

Several dozens of fairs and carnivals add to the festivities. The celebrations are mostly confined to the stretch between Vellayambalam Jn and Palayam. Jawahar Balabhavan, Institute of Engineers' Hall premises, Kanakakkunnu Palace and palace grounds, Nishagandhi festival ground, Suryakanthi festival ground, Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, etc welcome people to festival fervor.

For this young one, selling a few bubbles to the festival goers is more important than the festival itself.

Clouds gather up in the western sky, even as people enjoy a ride on a giant wheel.

It's Raining Onam Fairs in TVM City

The sales fairs of various kinds tell you Onam is right round the corner. There are fairs at Institute of Engineers' Hall, Jawahar Balabhavan, Suryakanthi Ground, VJT Hall, and several other places welcome visitors to a rich shopping experience.

Onam is the season for shopping. Here is a brief fair-merry-go-round for an evening.

The first stop is Institute of Engineers' Hall. Kerala Artisans Development Corporation has a sales fair there. Clothing, curios, crockery, handicrafts – there is a big variety to enjoy here.



I only had window shopping in my mind while I stepped in. However, I returned with a few pieces of crockery – for the dining table and for drawing room.

After finishing, you can head over to Jawahar Balabhavan, which is just opposite to this venue. Here you will find Gujarati Crafts Fair and Onam Fair. The Gujarati stalls are rich with ornaments for girls and women. You will find semi-precious jewellery, a big collection of bangles, and more. There also are colourful toys, bags, and clothes.

Just a walk away is Rajasthan Crafts Mela at Suryakanthi, on the backside of Kanakakkunnu Palace.

For the three venues above, you can park your vehicle in Kanakakkunnu Palace Premises.

Another venue is VJT, which is attracting women folk with colourful sarees. A colourful celebration of sarees – you will admit once you see it.

Yet another place to hit is Square One Talents Fair at Pattom, opposite to St Mary's Church and School. It seems this is the costliest place to visit. You can surely find home furnishings of a good variety – hand-stitched bed sheets, sofa covers, floral arrangements and attractions like that make you take a second look.


Even more fairs and melas are expected in the coming days. The hawkers or roadside vendors are yet to take their place. Maybe, the city become even busier after Sunday (Aug 23).

Rajasthani Crafts Exhibition, Sales

Suryakanthi ground in Thiruvananthapuram witnesses a celebration of colours, straight from northern India.

Anyone who cares enough to drop in will be welcomed by the rich colours - that is uniquely Rajasthani.

Not just the handicrafts and pottery, this event also showcases a rich collection of garments, ornaments, and other artifacts.

Nishagandhi Festival: 7 Evenings of Pure Entertainment in Thiruvananthapuram

This year's Nishagandhi Festival and Kathakali Festival is underway at Kanakakkunnu Palace and Nishagandhi grounds in Trivandrum city. The festival is on from Jan 20 to 26.

Performance of various Indian classical dance forms – Mohiniyattom, Kutchippudi, etc, Ghazals, Musical concerts (ganamela), etc add attraction to the event. Also don't miss the food festival, where major hotels, resorts and restaurants offer you their specialties. Don't miss the Payasam (sweet porridge) from Hotel Geeth.


One specialty this season is the display of handicrafts works by the tribal communities of Kerala, where they display their skills of creating musical instruments, artworks, and day to day utility items. BTW, there is also performance of Tribal dance forms.

The Kathakali Festival is also a special treat. I see more foreigners there than locals – maybe it is because of the peak of tourism season or is it the westerners appreciate our art forms better than we do?

Entrance is free, parking is free (if you take your vehicle inside the Kanakkunnu palace premises) and the festival is on till Jan 26.


PS: News of another festival in Trivandrum City - Samudra Festival is at Tagore Theatre on 24th and 25th of January. A martial arts performance company from New Zealand, Torotoro is performing on 25, at 5.30 pm. I have a ticket for two.

DD Movie Mix –the Only TV Program I Spend Time On

Have you ever watched DD Movie Mix – The Most Wanted by Doordarshan Trivandrum? If you haven't, tune on to DD TVM on Saturday evenings at 7.30. For several months now, it is the only program that I really want to watch. I miss some episodes if I am out of home at that time. However, if I am home, I can't miss the program.

Now you might ask what is so special about this program. In fact, there is nothing so special about this program. I just like the clean jokes and innocent teasing the main host (Anoop) cracks on his co-anchor (Parvathy – for some time now) and the (almost exclusively) women and girls who give in a call.

Unlike in several other cases, the callers (and the teased) don't really have a reason to feel bad about. I have seen programs, where the participants are left with bitter feelings. I hate those programs in some channels, which have some anchors, who can't talk proper Malayalam and can't help insult their guests. I really feel like throwing a brick at their heads.

It is in such condition that I really like one program. This program has nothing of much glamour – just a few minutes of entertainment, which goes through some teasing (without leaving any hard feelings), some witty scenes from Malayalam movies, and some song scenes from new films.

The callers sometimes praise the beauty of the male anchor's smile and he loves it. In one occasion (a few months back), a caller (a school girl) called up and this man was scoring so high, until one special moment.

Usually little girls address him 'chetta' (elder brother). This girl called him UNCLE and no words can explain the embarrassment that flickered through his face.

He was like – "Uncle?! Me?!" and continued with "you mean to call me uncle?"

The co-anchor also didn't waste the opportunity to give back what she had been getting till then. And that was the only moment I saw Anoop not in his full swing.

Onam Celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram City

Onam is the only time when almost the whole of Trivandrum city folk comes out to celebrate. There are quite a few festivals coming and going, nothing can match onam in its festive spirit.

Outside the city, celebrations are far too little in the whole of Trivandrum District, except for isolated celebrations conducted by organizations and people groups.
On Thiruvonam day (Sep 12), my friend Shaji and I drove into the city and there wasn't any sign of festivity, busy traffic or rushes until we reached the junction near Nandavanam police camp. From there on, traffic moves at one inch a minute. Two and four wheelers are parked on both sides of the road and people move tightly packed, as if it is inside a bus, packed three times its capacity.


I don't know what the frenzy is about. Yet, I know the national festival of Kerala is the only occasion to free yourself and let go the inhibitions to fully enjoy the carnival mood.

The city is densely packed and is active till 10 pm, in a city where it goes to sleep at around 8 every day. This occasion is special and I must commend the efficiency of city police to manage such a grand affair without letting any fuss to happen.