Dance Festival at Vylopilli Samskriti Bhavan

Some  photographs from the Dance festival organised by Samudra Arts International at Vylopilly Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram on 20th & 21st August 2014

Kadinamkulam, poor man's Vembanad

Thanks to Google maps, I discovered Kadinamkulam on a Saturday evening. It is just 12Kms from Kazhakuttam, the seat of Technopark. You proceed on NH 47 and turn into Vettu road. It takes you to the junction at St. Andrews. Turn right (North) at St. Andrews and proceed for about 4-5 Kms to Mariyanad Kadinamkulam lake is just 1 km from this junction. For locals, this just an everyday sight, but to me it appeared like a poor man's Vembanad. A country boat can ferry you to the other bank (Mrukkampuzha) in about 15 minutes.On the way from Kazhakootam you can also enjoy the isolated beaches at St.Andrews, Vettiyathura and also some magnificent churches and one or two small temples.

Odissi by Nrityagram

From Odissi

The Soorya Festival moved into the penultimate module - Odissi Festival, which opened with a brilliant performance by Nrityagram, Bengaluru.
The piece de resistance was of course, the 'Ardhanareeswara'.

It was held at the Municipal 'Auditorium' . This was just a hall with a stage and some chairs thrown in. The ambience didn't do justice to the exquisite performance by the troupe. The loud cricket commentary from a TV in the next room and a sputtering power supply did not help either. This event was originally scheduled to be held at the Music College, Thycaud, which was a much viewer-friendly venue. Wonder why Soorya changed to this venue!