Nishagandhi Dance Festival - inaugurated

The seven-day Nishagnadhi Festival organised by the Department of Tourism was inaugurated by the Governor of Kerala Sri. R L Bhatia on sunday the 20th January 2008. He hoped that the event would ‘add a new feather to the crown of the State.’ “The State is renowned all over the world as a tourism destination. The evergreen forests, backwaters and blue lagoons have turned this State into a fairyland,” he said. “The tenor and tempo of Kathakali has world-wide acclaim,” Mr. Bhatia said.
On speaking the occassion actor Mammootty has said that the State Tourism Department should conduct a competition in traditional art and craft forms, on the lines of the schools arts festival, to enable youngsters to exhibit their talent and creativity. “Most of the foreign tourists who visit the State are keen on buying souvenirs that reflect the cultural traditions of the State. Our endeavour should be in preserving the existing art forms,” he said.
The actor also exhorted the officials of the department to hold the festival in other districts as well. “We have people who appreciate music and art forms in other districts as well,” Mr. Mammooty said.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who presided over the function, said the objective of the seven-day event was to encourage the traditional music and art forms of the country.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Education Minister M.A. Baby, Law Minister M. Vijayakumar, Panniyan Raveendran, MP; Mayor C. Jayan Babu, V. Sivankutty, MLA; District Panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan, and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation chairman Cherian Philip.