Shri Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Cooperation and Tourism,

Shri C. Divakaran, Member of Legislative Assembly,

Shri V.S. Sivakumar, Member of Legislative Assembly,

Shri V.K. Prashanth, Mayor, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation,

Shri V.K. Madhu, President, District Panchayat,

Smt. Rani George, Secretary, Tourism Department,

Shri P. Balakiran, Director, Tourism Department,

Shri Paalayam Rajan, Councillor,

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I am immensely happy to address you on this happy occasion which marks the culmination of the Onam-Tourism Week Celebrations organized by the Government of Kerala from 10^th September onwards.

As you all know, this is my first Onam in Kerala and I have found it to be unique in many ways.  I was fortunate to enjoy the taste of the Onam ºÉnÂùªÉÃÉ[sadya];I also feel fortunate to be making my first official address at a programme held in connection with Onam.

I have so far spent ten days in this beautiful State.
And, I have felt that in Kerala, there is no other festival which is so widely accepted, warmly felt and secularly celebrated as Onam. The uniqueness of this harvest festival is the noble message of human equality and prosperity it conveys and highlights powerfully the importance of charity – Daanam - that is, a willingness to share our blessings with others.

Onam brings the true ambiance of happiness and plenty which reflects in the colorful floral carpets, the melody of Onam songs and in the sumptuous Onam feast. The real beauty of Onam lies in its emotional appeal and the feeling of oneness that energizes the minds of our people.  The mood of prosperity and celebration was visible in our people’s excitement to welcome the annual homecoming of legendary king Mahabali from the depths of Paataal, to which he was sent by Vaaman. By recounting the starry episodes of Mahabali’s reign, we celebrate the memories of a golden era of equality, prosperity and harmony.

However, Onam is not just the celebration of a glorious past. This celebration also kindles in our minds, great hopes about such a just and truly egalitarian social order in future.
I feel that Onam also has a message for all of us who are active in public life, be it in the various Governments or in the public or other sectors.  Onam reminds us of the need for a greater sense of responsibility on our part to devise and put into practice, inclusive measures to uplift the downtrodden and thereby create a world of equality and social justice. Mahabali’s kingdom, therefore, is not just a fable in our legends, but a noble dream to be achieved.

For us, who have endured the havoc unleashed by the recent natural calamities, the celebration of Onam also symbolizes Kerala’s resilience in times of adversity.  I must say that this year’s Onam had conveyed to the world, not only Kerala’s message of equality and harmony, but also the strength of its unity in overcoming all forms of adversity.

As in the past, this year also, the people of Kerala and Keralites all over the world have celebrated Onam with a spirit of oneness and equality. True to the spirit of the season, the Government of Kerala, which has been officially celebrating the Onam Week since 1980, had widened the scope of the celebration to all districts in the State. The celebration and procession also involved the staging of nearly one hundred art forms including those from different States like Rajastan, Manipur, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu etc. Besides, the melodious strains of our Onam songs have echoed in many venues in other States and even other nations, where Keralites live and work.

I understand that the Onam celebration is a curtain raiser to Kerala's Tourism Season which begins in October. It is true that the natural calamities in the last one year had affected our tourism industry, but I am sure that efforts like the Conclave of Tourism Ministers, held as part of this year’s Onam celebrations, would equip us with innovative ideas to help Kerala regain its glory as one of the most preferred tourism destinations of the world.

I am glad thatthis annual Onam festival has supported many traditional art forms, which were slowly disappearing from our cultural arena. I am told that hundreds of traditional and folk artistes have performed at 29 venues in Thiruvananthapuram and at many other venues across the State during this year's Onam celebration, thus rejuvenating the State's cultural fabric.

I am happy that the celebration, which highlights the equality of human beings, had included programmes by the trans-gender cultural groups.

I congratulate the organizers, especially the Minister for Cooperation and Tourism Shri Kadakampally Surendran, who is also the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. I also compliment all the people’s representatives, Tourism and other departments, public sector units, officials and artists who worked together to ensure the stately conduct of the Onam celebration and the Pageantry. 

Let me also congratulate all the participants of the Pageantry, especially those who have won prizes today. Their expertise in conveying contemporary ideas through art deserves our wholehearted applause.

Through this year’s Onam celebrations, we have enjoyed the gifts of Mahabali. Let us now think of what gift we will present to Mahabali, when he returns next year. I would suggest two gifts : one is the gift of a truly Plastic free Kerala, which can be achieved through the cooperation of all stakeholders including  elected representatives, local bodies, public servants, students and Associations of Residents, Hotels, Hospitals, Merchants etc.

The second gift Kerala can give to Mahabaliis the credit of being a State with an improved traffic sense, which could be a model to the entire nation.  This would be easy for Kerala, which is the first fully literate State in the country. 

I am sure that these return gifts to Mahabaliwould add more colour and sparkle to our Onamin the next year.

Nanni / Jai Hind