Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday inaugurated the week-long ‘Keraleeyam’ event organised by the state government that seeks to shed light on the richness of the state’s ethnic traditions and showcase the complexity of its evolution as a modern state.
Besides the Chief Minister and Kerala Cabinet Ministers, the event was attended by business tycoons Yusuff Ali, Ravi Pillai and celebrities like Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Shobana and Manju Warrier.
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In his inaugural address, Chief Minister Vijayan said that this is an opportunity for all the people who are proud to be Keralites to share that joy with the world. Kerala is unique in every field, he said.
He praised the first communist government in the state under former Chief Minister EMS Namboodiripad for initiating land reforms that conferred ownership rights of farm and homestead land to tenants and agriculture workers, while setting a ceiling on the extent of land an individual could own.
However, taking strong exception to the state government’s Keraleeyam 2023 for its financial extravaganza, the Congress-led opposition front boycotted the festival. The UDF leaders alleged that the government is spending extravagantly when the “treasury was bone-dry and people reeled under a debilitating cost of living crisis.”
Legendary actors such as Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal and Shobhana participated in the inaugural function. During the seven-day Kerala festival, approximately 200 notable people from the country and abroad will participate in 25 seminars at 42 venues that will focus on Kerala’s future.
In the evening, events at 30 different venues will feature almost 4,100 artists. The event will feature film festivals, trade shows, food fairs, exhibitions, and more in addition to these cultural presentations.
