Metro Mart Daily

As a prelude to the 4^th edition of Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2020), scheduled to be held from May 16 to 20 in Angamaly, a curtain raiser event was organized by FICCI in association with the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA) the organizers of the 4^th Global Ayurveda Festival, at the SushmaSwarajBhawan in New Delhi on March 5.

The 4th edition of Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2020), is scheduled to be held from May 16 to 20. The vision for this global event is to tap Global Markets, Research & Medical Tourism Potential, have focussed sessions on African, ASEAN & European Nations, address Ayurveda and Child Health and Tap Global Market Place, Research and Medical Tourism Potential.

PiyushGoyal, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, ShripadYessoNaik, Union Minister of State for AYUSH, and V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, held interactions with the delegates including diplomats and industry chieftains at the curtain raiser event, Sangita Reddy, Chairperson- FICCI, T S Tirumurti, Secretary-Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, also addressed the gathering. Ambassadors and diplomats from over 50 countries attended this event along with industry, academia and media.

Speaking at the gathering, PiyushGoyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, said, the curtain raiser event held at the SushmaSwarajBhawan is a tribute to the late SmtSushmaSwaraj, the visionary behind the Ministry of Ayush. It is to her credit that she revitalised the idea of Ayurveda which was long forgotten, Goyal said.

Adding that it is the holistic vision of Prime Minister Modi to promote various forms of traditional healthcare system, the Minister said Global Ayurveda Festival will be a step forward towards this effort of promoting Ayurveda. The real rich offering of Ayurveda is that all should remain happy and healthy. Without innovation in Ayurveda we cannot get global recognition, he added.

Speaking at the GAF 2020 curtain raiser event, ShripadYessoNaik, Union Minister of State for AYUSH, said that his ministry has signed 22 federal level MoUs for cooperation in the field of traditional medicine.

V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, pointed out that Ayurveda can play an important role in curing the diseases rising out of modern lifestyle and that there is a need for global mainstreaming. International cooperation is significant here and to push this further experts have been deputed in Indian missions abroad to promote it internationally, he added.

TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, who spoke at the forum, said the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) has played a considerable role in being a bridge between Ayurveda and the global fraternity and in opening new opportunities for businesses in this sector. This year an expected participation of 5000 delegates from over 50 countries is expected, he said.

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Union Ministry of AYUSH said that Ayurveda is undergoing a transformational evolution and in the next 5 years we will witness a global resurgence of Ayurveda.

Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI, opined that Ayurveda has evolved, become contemporary and will be introduced to the world through the Global Ayurveda Festival. Ayurveda will soon no longer be alternative healthcare, but will be mainstream healthcare, she said adding that Ayurveda and Yoga are not just health initiatives but happiness initiatives.

Dr GGGangadharan, President, CISSA & Secretary General, Global Ayurveda Festival 2020, said thathealthcare in India is unique and the country stands as one of the largest healthcare providers in the world. Adding that Ayurveda has been underutilised and that it can play a greater role in lifestyle related chronic diseases, he said that GAF 2020 will galvanise Ayurveda sector with a focus on Ayurveda Medical Tourism.

At the heart of GAF is the idea of promotion of ‘authentic’ Ayurveda across the world and foster meaningful collaborations between modern and traditional sciences for effectively taking on the unique health challenges of the

The Global Ayurveda Festival will have several more entities from various ministries including AYUSH, Commerce and Industry, MSME, Tourism, External Affairs etc., which will take the event to a higher plane. The Festival looks towards putting in place an International Cooperation Conclave so as to tap the potential of the global market place, research initiatives and medical tourism opportunities.

The GAF 2020 will have three major components – an International Seminar, a Global Ayurveda Exhibition and an International Cooperation Conclave. Serious efforts will be initiated for the integration of Indian Ayurveda with the ASEAN, African and European counterparts in the Festival.

The Global Ayurveda Festival 2020 will witness presence of the best among the international Ayurveda fraternity, who would converge in Angamaly to learn, experience, collaborate, progress and expand. GAF 202 is being lined up as an event that would meet the needs of all - from students to scientists, from practitioners to policy makers and from educationalists to entrepreneurs.

Ayurveda Exhibition at GAF will have exhibits like drugs, technologies, products and services in medical tourism, medicinal plants, research etc. Planned as a truly global festival, GAF 2020 will be a platform to coordinate the efforts of all committed members from various countries to place Ayurveda as a global system of medicine.

Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), Ayurveda Hospital Management Association, Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India, Ayurveda Drugs Manufacturers Association are some of the other partners of the event.

IBS Software, a worldwide leader of SaaS solutions to the aviation industry, has announced a contract with Japan Airlines (JAL) for the implementation of iCargo, a comprehensive cargo sales, inventory and reservations system that manages air cargo operations and movement globally and powered with business capabilities that are tailored for the unique Japanese Air Cargo market.

JAL will replace multiple legacy systems with IBS’s iCargo Terminal Operations solution for Japan, the workhorse that will manage the entire operations process covering the import, export, transfers, warehouse operations and airports operations across the network. Along with significant savings in legacy system maintenance costs, JAL will also benefit from major efficiency improvements through the iCargo solution. iCargo is the industry leader in Japan and the only non-Japanese system in this market today that has full Japanese Customs NACCS reporting capabilities. The real time availability of operational information through iCargo also helps generate actionable intelligence to understand the overall utilization of assets and thereby improve operational efficiencies.

iCargo is an integrated solution that supports the end-to-end business functions such as cargo reservations, rating, manifesting, import & export operations, warehouse management, revenue accounting, air mail handling and revenue management of cargo carrying airlines and ground handlers. iCargo follows the air cargo industry best practices and is fully compliant with global industry standards and initiatives such as Cargo iQ, C-XML, OneRecord, e-AWB and e-Freight in general.

IBS offers enterprise class availability of the iCargo business solution to all its customers with the solution hosted in IBS’s data centres around the world. Deployed globally with many of the world’s leading airlines and ground handlers, 5 of the top 15 global cargo airlines have deployed iCargo to manage their air cargo business.

“JAL is an iconic name in the airline industry and we are proud to welcome them to the iCargo community. Their aim is to drive efficiency improvements and iCargo, the leader and IT platform of choice for airlines especially in the Japanese market, will help their transformation into digital freight” said Ashok Rajan, Senior Vice-President & Head, Cargo & Logistics Solution Business, IBS Software

ITB India 2021 will be held on 7 – 9 April 2021 in Mumbai

The ITB India organisers have announced to postpone ITB India 2020, originally scheduled to be held on 15 – 17 April at Bombay Exhibition Centre. ITB India 2021 will be held on 7 – 9 April at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. 
Due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), there is much uncertainty in the region and around the world. The recent developments continue to be challenging and the following months are very hard to foresee at this stage.
To ensure the safety of ITB India’s exhibitors, buyers and visitors, the organisers decided to postpone ITB India 2020, and in a responsible way allow all participants to make necessary arrangements in a timely manner.
The ITB India organisers will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide further updates based on official assessments of the overall risk situation.
ITB India participants can reach the organising team best by sending queries with regards to ITB India directly to exhibitor@itb-india.com.

TMA’s two-day meet TRIMA 2020 begins

Adapting to rapid advances transforming diverse domains is inevitable to keep the competitive edge in businesses when the world is on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala Shri Arif Mohammad Khan today said while inaugurating the two-day annual management conventionof Trivandrum Management Association (TMA), TRIMA 2020, here.

Lauding TMA for choosing‘Work in a Changing World- A Vision for Kerala’ as the theme of its annual flagship conclave, the Governor said it was important to tap the possibilities offered by the changes by adopting strategies such as re-skilling and multi-skilling the workforce.

“Today’s annual convention rightly focuses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on our business scenario. The age of Industry 4.0, is marked by automation through Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, promising   higher productivity, increased efficiencies, safety, and convenience,” the Governor said.

While the Fourth Industrial Revolution will make 75 million jobs obsolete by the year 2022, it is also projected to create 133 million new jobs, according to a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report, the Governor noted.

“Moving into the era of Industry 4.0 makes it necessary to build competitive advantage by understanding the impact of new Technological changes and to adapt new business models. Business houses also need to apprise governments about the active role to be played by the State, as a creator and regulator of innovation,” he said.

Qualities such as team work, empathy, curiosity, creativity, Innovation, critical thinking, lifelong learning, social intelligence and emotional intelligence are essential for everyone today, he noted Quoting the ideal that ‘by mutuality and cooperation, all shall achieve the highest welfare’, he said an atmosphere of cooperation between the decision makers and the workforce is of utmost importance in today’s work atmosphere.

Dr MI Sahadulla, Chairman TRIMA 2020, said disruptive changes are taking place not only in technology but also in cultural, healthcare and other vital domains. The conclave will  take stock the preparedness of Kerala to move forward in this context. Mr Hemant Nerurkar, Director, Adani Enterprises Ltd, made a broad overview of profound changes impacting the ecosystem and ways to cope with them in his key-note address. Mr Rajesh Jha, TMA president, welcomed the gathering and TMA secretary Mr Mahesh LS proposed a vote of thanks. More than 200 delegates, including doyens of industry, business leaders, management experts, policy-makers, administrators and startup promoters are participating in the deliberations at the meet.

The Governor also presented the awards announced by TMA. While Embright Infotech received TMA-Adani Startup award KEF Holdings was presented TMA-Terumo Penpol CSR award.

The premier management forum affiliated to All India Management Association (AIMA) also awarded Mr. Ritto Rexy and Ms. Najla Nazar of Institute of Management in Kerala the TMA-KIMS Award for best paper presentation 2020 on "EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE ORGANISATION.”  Mr. Jain Richard & Ms. Midhuna Chandran of St. Xavier’s college of Engineering, (MBA Dept.) received the second prize in the category.

Kerala has been adjudged India’s Best Wellness Destination by leading tourism magazine Outlook Traveller for the year 2020, in a robust validation of the state’s authentic Ayurveda and other traditional systems of holistic healing.

The award was presented by former parliamentarian, columnist and author Shri Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, who was the Chief Guest, at an impressive function in New Delhi on Saturday evening. The award was received by Tourism Information Officer P K Sooraj.

Kerala was also in the final round of awards for best tourism state and best wedding destination. The other tourist attractions of the state that made in it the final round were Jatayu Earth Centre, the world’s largest bird sculpture based on a unique combination of mythology, technology, culture, adventure and leisure, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (both in the category of Best Tourist Attraction), Niramaya Retreats Cardamom Club, Thekkady (Best Hill Resort) and Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom (Best Heritage Hotel).

The award winners who were asked about the favourite destination by the host replied Kerala as their favourite destination, which also was a welcome recognition for Kerala at the event.

“Ayurveda has always been the USP of Kerala Tourism, bringing in tourists from all parts of the globe. In addition, the state provides a range of other relaxing therapies that rejuvenate people tired of monotonous city life,” said Kerala Tourism Minister Shri Kadakampally Surendran. “The Outlook Traveller Award is a huge recognition that will further bolster the state’s reputation as a destination for holistic healing.”

The Outlook Traveller Awards are considered the benchmark of quality in the travel and tourism industry and felicitate the best each year. With 25 categories, the awards take a 360⁰ view of the tourism sector and have attracted leading names associated with the travel and tourism industry. They include tour operators, influencers, writers, designers, artists, travel tech disruptors, hoteliers, foreign and state tourism boards, ambassadors and government officials.

This year the awards were a spectacle of engrossing speakers, a stellar jury, engaging panel discussions and a magical evening.

Tourism Minister  inaugurates 7-day fest to be held at 28 venues across state

Showcasing Kerala’s rich and diverse folk art  traditions, the seven-day  Utsavam 2020  got off to a colorful start  with Hon’ble Minister for Co-operation, Tourism and Devaswoms  Shri Kadakampally Surendran  honouring eminent aritstes at the state-level inauguration of the cultural festival at Madavoorpara near here today . 

Over 5000 artistes, representing a spectrum of folk and ethnic traditions that flourished in different parts of the state, are performing in the 12^th edition of the festival, organized by Kerala Tourism Jointly with Kerala Folklore Academy and District Tourism Promotion Councils.

Eminent actor Shri Nedumudi Venu was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony, which was presided over by Corporation Councilor Smt Sindhu Sasi. Tourism Secretary Smt Rani George IAS and Tourism Director Shri  Bala Kiran IAS were present.

A spectacular fusion of sight and sound to be staged at 28 venues across the state, the festival brings alive an array of ethnic and rural art forms, enthralling art lovers, connoisseurs and tourists.

The  festival provides a platform to state’s traditional folk arts, many of which are on the verge of being pushed to oblivion.

Shri Mannur Chandran (Porattu Kali), Shri Parappil Karumban (Kakkarassi Natakam), Smt Ambujakshi (Pulluvanpattu), Sister. Immanuel Prakash (Margam Kali), Shri Thambi Payyappalli (ChavittuNatakam), Shri NazarKappad (Mappilakala), Shri Aruvi Arumughan (Paliyanritham), Smt Rajamma Mullankuzhi (Parunthu kali), and Smt Sreedevi Srikumar (Nadan Pattu) were honoured at the function.

The artists being honored and the performers for the festival were selected by a two-member panel comprising Folklore Academy Chairman Shri C J Kuttappan and Bharat Bhavan member secretary Shri Pramod Payyannur.

Councillor Shri Pradeep Kumar, Block Panchayat President Smt Shaniba Beegum, Panchayat President Shri Venugopalan Nair, ADM Shri  Vinod, Shri BS Indran, Shri D Ramesan and Shri  Sidharthan were also present at the inaugural function.

The inaugural was followed by the performance of ‘Mathrukam-Penmayude paithrukam”, conceived by Pramod Payyanur.

253 contestants, 39 skills at the meet that also features open sessions and cultural evenings

The country’s most literate state began its biggest endeavour to showcase the technical proficiency of the youth, as curtains went up for India Skills Kerala 2020 with Labour and Skills Minister Shri T P Ramakrishnan inaugurating the three-day event featuring 253 participants who will be proving their eminence in 39 disciplines having huge prize monies and a ticket for an international-level competition in China at stake. “The government has initiated several skill development programmes. India Skills Kerala is part of that mission,” the minister said, while declaring open the February 22-24 state-level round with prize monies totalling Rs 78 lakh.

The event has also at stake an opportunity for the competitors to participate in national competitions where the victors get a chance to represent the country at World Skills 2021 at Shanghai in China.

Noting that Kerala is to soon bring out a state Skills Policy, Shri Ramakrishnan said the government would come up with a Career Policy shortly considering a recent surge in the importance of technology in the new age. “We must promote a culture where students earn while studying. The state needs its youth in educational institutions to do part-time jobs,” he added at the ceremony in Swapna Nagari, the centre-stage of the event being organised by the Industrial Training Department (ITD) and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), both under the Labour and Skills Department.

India Skills Kerala gives the top winner of each skill Rs 1 lakh, while the runner-up will be given Rs 50,000. Those finishing in the subsequent four ranks get Rs 10,000 each. “Kozhikode has a history of popularizing people’s festival,” Shri Ramakrishnan noted. “Let genuine and extraordinary skills lead the youth to greater heights.” Shri A Pradeepkumar, MLA, who is the Chairman of the event’s organising committee, in his presidential address, said at a time when the engineering education is witnessing travesty, events focused on the skill development of youth are a welcome sign. The others who attended the function were Kozhikode Deputy Mayor Smt. Meera Darshak, District Collector Shri Seeram Sambasiva Rao, Sub Collector Smt. Priyanka, Kerala State Planning Board Member Dr K.V. Ravi Raman, National Skill Development Corporation Assistant Manager Smt. Indira Thakur, Pathanamthitta Collector P.B. Nooh, and Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC) Chairman Shri Sasidharan Nair. N.

State Labour and Skills Development Additional Chief Secretary Shri Satyajit Rajan, IAS welcomed the gathering, while ITD Director Shri S Chandrasekhar, who is also KASE Managing Director, proposed a vote of thanks. Of the 39 skills for which competitions are on at India Skills Kerala, 32 are at Swapna Nagari. Three (CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Plastic Die Engg) have NTTF, Thalassery (Kannur district) as the venue. Further, in Kozhikode, Print Media Technology contest has Mathrubhumi as the venue, Cooking is slated to be held at SIHM and Water Technology at CWRDM. Government ITI at Chalakudy (Thrissur district) is holding competitions in Car Painting.

The calendar for the event is dotted with technological exhibitions and open forums featuring experts on a wide range of subjects, besides cultural evenings. The valedictory function on Monday evening will have Transport Minister Shri A.K. Saseendran as the chief guest.

India Skills Kerala comes as a result of its district-level competitions held last month, with 4,298 contestants. The 1,278 winners among them subsequently qualified for the zonal rounds held separately for the north, central and south regions of the state.

While the state-level winners qualify for the national competitions, the prize-winning performers in that round will represent the country at World Skills 2021 in Shanghai. That global round next year will have youngsters from 83 countries vying for honours and prizes in 54 skills. India Skills Kerala’s preliminary district-level competitions concluded on January 20, while the four-day zonal-level event ended on the last day of that month. The age bracket of the contestants has been wide, as they include little boys and girls as well as adults of any educational qualification. The age limit for India Skills Kerala is 21 years.

 The following are the competition categories at Swapna Nagari: 3D Digital Game Art, Auto Body Repair, Automobile Technology, Bakery, Beauty Therapy, Brick Laying, CNC Miling, CNC Turning, Cabinet Making, Car painting, Carpentry, Cooking, Cyber Security, Electrical Installations, Electronics, Fashion Technology, Floristry, Graphic Design Technology, Hair Dressing, Health and Social Care, Hotel Reception, Information Networking Cabling, Jewellery, Joinery, Landscape Gardening, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mobile Robotics, Painting and Decorating, Patisserie and Confectionery, Plastering and Drywall System, Plastic Die Engineering, Plumbing and Heating, Print Media Technology, Refrigeration and Air conditioning, Restaurant Service, Wall and Floor Tiling, Water Technology, Web Technologies, and Welding.

The 2018 edition had three Malayalis competing at the international finale in Russia’s Kazan after the national round in Delhi. Kerala had 41 participants at the national round’s zonal-level competitions, and 20 of them qualified for the Delhi event. There, at the India Skills 2018, Kerala won 10 medals (one coming from a wild card entry). At the World Skills 2019 in Kazan, two from Kerala earned the Medallion for Excellence award

The fourth edition of Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2020), scheduled to be held from May 16 to 20, at the Adlux International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Angamaly, will be more unique this time than its earlier editions in terms of participation of international business, industry, academic and diplomatic participants across continents.

A mega initiative of this stature on Ayurveda for the first time in India, the 4th edition of GAF organized by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA), and supported by Central government, and the State government of Kerala, will have long-lasting influence, impact and many advantages for the future prospects of Ayurveda in India in terms of manufacturing, exports and employment generation, with special emphasis to Kerala. 

Speaking at a Press Conference organised in Kochi today (21 February 2020), Sri V Muraleedharan, Chairman of the 4th Global Ayurveda Festival and Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, said that the Global Ayurveda Festival will have several more entities from various ministries like Ayush, Commerce and Industry, MSME, Tourism, External Affairs etc., which will take the event to a new level.” The Festival looks towards putting in place an International Cooperation Conclave so as to tap the potential of the global market place, research initiatives and medical tourism opportunities, he said. GAF 2020, encouraged by various Central government departments and also the Kerala State Government, will be organised on a global scale, bringing together the efforts of all committed members from various countries to place Ayurveda as a global system of medicine. The stakeholders from many countries will share their experiences, needs and ideas for collaborations as they look at Ayurveda as something worthy to depend upon as an effective system of medicine.  The GAF 2020 will have three major components - an International Seminar, a Global Ayurveda Exhibition and an International Cooperation Conclave. Serious efforts will be initiated for the integration of Indian Ayurveda with the ASEAN, African and European counterparts in the Festival.

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Invest India, the Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, are already engaged in inviting investment/ business propositions from countries abroad to potential Ayurveda manufacturers and other stakeholders in Kerala and India. A curtain-raiser round table of diplomats from various countries, comprising Ambassadors and Consular Generals, will be held at New Delhi in March 2020, to outline a guide map for attracting the global Ayurveda community to the Global Ayurveda Festival. Involvement of Research & Information System for (RIS) Developing Countries, an autonomous think tank under the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India  will bring in meaningful deliberations on exploring markets in many countries for Ayurveda products. The Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is also attending the Festival, exploring more avenues for exports of Ayurveda products and services.

Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), Ayurveda Hospital Management Association, Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India, Ayurveda Drugs Manufacturers Association are some of the other partners of the event.  The Global Ayurveda Festival 2020 will witness presence of the best among the international Ayurveda fraternity, who would converge in Angamaly to learn, experience, collaborate, progress and expand. GAF 202 is being lined up as an event that would meet the needs of all - from students to scientists, from practitioners to policy makers and from educationalists to entrepreneurs. Ayurveda Exhibition of the Festival will have exhibits like drugs, technologies, products and services in medical tourism, medicinal plants, research etc.

Planned as a truly global festival, GAF 2020 will be a platform to coordinate the efforts of all committed members from various countries to place Ayurveda as a global system of medicine. The stakeholders from many countries will share their experiences, needs and ideas for collaborations as they look at Ayurveda as something worth depending upon. The mega event will be a platform for global players, policy makers, practitioners and preachers to meet and transcend to the next level, in business, international facilitations, and universal health care.

Governor to inaugurate two-day event

Trivandrum Management Association (TMA), affiliated to New Delhi-based All India Management Association (AIMA), will hold its flagship annual management convention TRIMA 2020 on February 27 and 28 here, focussing on the theme “A Vision for Kerala- Work in a Changing World.”

Hon’ble Governor of Kerala Shri Arif Mohammed Khan will inaugurate the conclave at “O” By Tamara Hotel on February 27th at 5pm.

The central theme of the convention assumes significance since Kerala sets priority on three basic goals of developing fundamental human capabilities, fostering lifelong learning, and ensuring that businesses play a role in these developments for the benefit of the entire society by generating job opportunities .  TRIMA 2020 is an attempt by TMA to address the key challenges, study and discuss the complex issues that the future holds out.

As one of India’s premier management forums, TMA has been engaged in the promotion of education and training in management.

Mr Hemant Nerurkar, Past President, All India Management Association (AIMA), and Director, Adani Enterprises Ltd. will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session. Mr Rajesh Jha, President, TMA, will welcome the gathering. The concept presentation will be done by Dr M.I. Sahadulla, Chairman, TRIMA 2020. 

More than 200 delegates, including doyens of industry, professionals, policy makers, and members of business fraternity will attend the two-day event.

Experts from the industry and Government will participate in panel discussions, covering a wide range of topics from -“Industry 4.0-Impact on Jobs”, “Learning for Life”, “Able to Capable-Up skill”, and “The Industry Connect.” Apart from the technical sessions, there will be presentations and awards ceremony at the event.

Dr K. Ellangovan IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala, will be the chief guest at the valedictory function where Mr. Arun Kumar, Chairman & CEO of KPMG will deliver the key note address.

Major speakers attending the event include Mr. Radhakrishnan Nair Co-founder & CEO, Smart IOPS Inc. San Francisco, USA, Mr Jathin Trivedi, Head Adani Skill Development Centre, Mr Tony Thomas, CIO, Nissan Motor Corporation Ltd., Mr Alexander Varghese, COO, UST Global; Mr. Sekharan Y Menon CEO Edge Varsity Learning Systems, Ms. Bian Li Founder, The Hungry Lab California, USA, Mr C. Balagopal, Founder, Terumo Penpol Pvt. Ltd.; Mr Sunil Gupta Founder CEO & Director Innova Digital Solutions Pvt Ltd., Mr V.K. Mathews, Founder and Executive Chairman, IBS Group; Mr. Vijayaraghavan, former State Planning Board member and the first CEO of Technopark, Trivandrum and several leading industry stalwarts among others.

Tourism Minister to open 7-day folk art fest to be held at 28 venues across state

  Showcasing Kerala’s rich and diverse folk and ritualistic art traditions, the week-long ‘Utsavam 2020’ is all set to get off to a colorful start here on February 22.  Over 5000 artistes, representing a wide variety of folk and ethnic traditions that flourished in different parts of the state, will perform during the next seven days in the 12^th edition of the cultural extravaganza being organized by Kerala Tourism Jointly with Kerala Folklore Academy and District Tourism Promotion Councils.

A spectacular fusion of sight and sound at 28 venues across the state, the festival will showcase an array of ethnic and rural art forms.

Hon’ble Minister for Co-operation, Tourism and Devaswoms Shri Kadakampally Surendran will inaugurate ‘Utsavam 2020’ on February 22 at Madavoorpara near here at 6pm. Hon’ble Minister for Ports, Museums, Archaeology and Archives Shri Ramachandran Kadannappally will deliver the keynote address at the function. Actor Shri Nedumudi Venu will be the chief guest.

Leading folklore artists representing various traditions will be honoured at the function. They include Shri Mannur Chandran (Porattu Kali), Shri Parappil Karumban (Kakkarassi Natakam), SmtAmbujakshi (Pulluvanpattu), Sister. Immanuel Prakash (Margam Kali), Shri Thambi Payyappalli (ChavittuNatakam), Shri P Kunhirama Peruvannan (Theyyam), Shri NazarKappad (Mappila kala), Shri Aruvi Arumughan (Paliyanritham), Smt Rajamma Mullankuzhi (Parunthu kali), and Smt Sreedevi Srikumar (Nadan Pattu).

The artists being honored and the performers for the festival were selected by a two-member panel comprising Folklore Academy Chairman Shri C J Kuttappan and Bharat Bhavan member secretary Shri Pramod Payyannur. Shri K. Sreekumar, Mayor, Thiruvananthapuram; Shri Shashi Tharoor MP; Smt Rani George IAS, Secretary Tourism; Shri M. Vijayakumar, Chairman, KTDC; Shri V.K. Madhu, President, District Panchayat; Shri K. Gopalakrishnan, District Collector; and Shri P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Tourism, will also attend.

The folk arts festival aims at providing a platform to state’s traditional folk arts, many of which are on the verge of being pushed to oblivion. The event also opens a window to the state’s rich cultural heritage and artistic talents of folklore performers and troupes.