Saturday turned out to be an evening of dance and music for Kozhikode with various cultural programmes being presented in different venues as part of Onam celebrations.
The city’s very own dancers, Aswathy V. Nair and N. Srikanth, set the tone for the night much earlier in the evening with their Bharatanatyam performance at the beach open stage. Several students of Brityalaya School of Dance too were part of the hour-long event that was followed by music, dance and a comedy show led by actor-director Nadirsha.
Playback singer Devanand was joined by Nayan J. Shah and Gopika for a musical extravaganza at the Bhatt Road beach stage, while musicians Sameer Binsi, Imam Majboor, and Midhulesh Cholakkal joined hands for a soothing Sufi music concert at Kuttichira.
Sudha Raghunath’s classical music concert was the highlight of the day at the venue at Thali, while Beypore danced to the tunes of playback singers Chitra Iyer and Anwar Sadath, both known for their fast numbers and feisty singing.
A folk cultural festival was held at Mananchira Square during the day with folk songs by Nattuthudi, besides Panchuruli Theyyam and Chamundi Theyyam by Anushtana Kalakendram, Koduvalli. Events such as archery, aerobic dance, and musical chair were also held at Mananchira.
The celebrations are being organised under the aegis of the district administration, Department of Tourism, and the District Tourism Promotion Council.
