Festival showcases Kerala culture

Chekkutty, doll made of damaged handloom saris in Kerala floods, a hit with visitors

Expatriates from the south Indian state of Kerala and their friends are enjoying the state’s culture and heritage at a three-day event which kicked off on Thursday evening in the capital.

Kerala Festival at the Kerala Social Centre (KSC) is offering cultural and musical performances, traditional Kerala cuisine, street foods and books.

Part of the proceeds of the festival, themed ‘Building a new Kerala’, will be used for the reconstruction of Kerala, said A.K. Beeran Kutty, president of the KSC, a 46-year-old sociocultural organisation in Abu Dhabi.

The festival will also help complete the renovation of the KSC building, he said at the inaugural ceremony on Thursday.

A draw will be held this evening, which will give away a 2019-model Nissan Sunny car as the first prize and 100 other prizes.

A doll [Chekkutty] made out of handloom saris damaged in Kerala floods is a major attraction at the festival.

“This is an innovative idea to support the traditional weavers in Chennamangalam [near Paravoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala, which is famous for its handloom products],” said Rajmurugan.

Volunteers of the Friends of Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad (FKSSP), a community group, are conducting live sessions of doll making at the festival.

Shyam Thaikkad, secretary of Abu Dhabi unit of FKSSP, told Gulf News: “Kerala experienced two disasters recently — the natural disaster [floods] and a socio-political disaster in the form of Sabarimala temple issue that diverted people’s attention from the idea of ‘Rebuilding Kerala’. We hope this doll will remind Keralites to refocus on supporting millions of flood victims who are still struggling to rebuild their lives.”