London's Trafalgar Square beats to 'Chenda', enjoy 'Kathakali'

The famed Trafalgar Square reverberated to the beats of 'chenda' and movements of 'Kathakali' performers as 'God's Own Country' captured the hearts of visitors to the 'Mayor of London' event in London.
More than half-a-lakh people thronged the London landmark visited by tourists from around the world to witness a series of traditional music, dance and martial arts performances organised by Kerala Tourism yesterday.
"Trafalgar Square presented a grand stage to introduce the cultural diversity of our state to the people of the United Kingdom and visitors from the rest of the world," said Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar in a release here today.

"Our objective is to present the 'Best of Kerala', its natural beauty and rich culture and heritage, to our distinguished visitors from around the world so that we can contribute to the development of our state and empowerment of our communities, Anilkumar said.
Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson introduced the cultural extravaganza to the audience at a function attended by Deputy Mayor of London, Roger Evans at the ceremony, held in collaboration with the Indian Diaspora's 'Diwali in London' committee.
The Kerala cultural presentation included 'Chendamelam', 'Thiruvathirakali' and a 'Bharathanatyam-Mohiniyattom - Kathakali fusion. Another attraction was a 'Kerala Nadanam' classical dance fusion.

Britain is the biggest tourism market for Kerala. A whopping 1,51,497 travellers from the United Kingdom had visited the state last year. The Kerala delegation also met prominent tour operators and top media persons in London to promote the 'Visit Kerala' campaign.
Launched in April this year in New Delhi by Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and the state tourism minister, the 'Visit Kerala' campaign,which will run till April 2016, brings together a variety of tourism products, presenting a unique opportunity for a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience in 'God's Own Country'.
Kerala Tourism will also participate in the influential World Trade Mart (WTM) in London, which will be held during November 2-5.