Thursday, September 8, 2011: Onam, Kerala’s most important festival,
has taken a floral route to the virtual world of celebrations this year.
Malayalees sitting in any corner of the world can now log on to the
Kerala tourism website to get a homely feel of the floral decking or
‘pookkalam’, the most colourful and striking symbol of the harvest
festival, which commemorates the state’s egalitarian past under the
mythical King Mahabali, to be celebrated tomorrow.
The flower-bed is made of 600 video clips about Kerala, ranging from
the traditional Onam cuisine to the enchanting backwaters and from
Ayurveda to the calm beaches of God’s Own Country, a state tourism
release said.
‘Pookalam’ is posted on website www.KeralatourismOrg Type
wwwKeralatourismOrg/pookalam/pookalam.Php. Every click on a petal in the
‘pookalam’, conceptualized and designed by Invis Multimedia, takes the
visitor through scenic destinations, different tourism products,
cultural events, traditional cuisines and social facets.
“Onam is the most important festival for Keralites and it invokes
nostalgia in every Malayalee, especially those staying outside the
state,” state Tourism Minister AP Anil Kumar said.
Apart from sharing scenes from the home state with non-resident
Keralites through video clippings, the Government also wanted to take
this unique experience to the whole world, especially to prospective
visitors, he said.
The ‘pookalam’, also called ‘Athapookalam’ or ‘Onapookalam’, consists
of a series of circular layers, believed to be representing different
deities. Starting from ‘Atham’, 10 days ahead of Onam, Keralites
decorate their courtyards with ‘pookalam’ in rich and vibrant varieties
of flowers.
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