Concert in honor of Kalabhavan Mani at Manaveeyam Veedhi

Manaveeyam Veedhi, also known as Manaveeyam Road, is a Road in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. This 180 m road extending from the statue of

Vayalar Ramavarma Vayalar Ramavarma (March 25, 1928 – October 27, 1975), also known as Vayalar, was an Indian poet and lyricist of Malayalam language. He was known for his poems which include ''Sargasangeetham'', ''Mulankaadu'', ''Padamudrakal'', ''Aayisha'' a ...

on the

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

Vellayambalam Vellayambalam is a prominent junction in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India. It is situated on the Rajapatha (Royal Path) that stretches from Kowdiar to East Fort. Overview This junction connects the arterial roads conn ...

road to the statues of

G. Devarajan Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He sco ...

and P. Bhaskaran at Althara junction, is famous for the numerous artworks on display along the road and the numerous cultural performances it hosts.

Street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or university c ...

performances, exhibitions, and art festivals are often hosted on this road. The history of hosting cultural events at Manaveeyam Veedhi can be traced back to as early as 1995 from when street plays were regularly held at this location. In 2001, the then Assembly Speaker M. Vijayakumar inaugurated this road as a center for cultural programs. In 2011, as a part of its ''Manaveeyam'' project, the Government of Kerala started organizing cultural events at Manaveeyam Veedhi. Initially it hosted only theater performances. Performances of a number of plays of

G. Sankara Pillai Gopala Pillai Sankara Pillai (June 22, 1930 – January 1, 1989), better known as G. Sankara Pillai, was an Indian playwright, literary critic, and director, known to be one of the pioneers of modern Malayalam theatre. A proponent of total the ...

have been hosted here. Later on, many cultural icons from Kerala, including

O. N. V. Kurup Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup (known as O. N. V. Kurup; 27 May 1931 – 13 February 2016) was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India, who won the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He receive ...

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

, and

Sugathakumari Sugathakumari (22 January 1934 – 23 December 2020) was an Indian poet and activist, who was at the forefront of environmental and feminist movements in Kerala, South India. Her parents were the poet and freedom fighter Bodheswaran and V. K. K ...

have participated in events at this road. A number of famous artists from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

including Artist Namboothiri have also created works on art on the walls along the road. In 2013, a ''neermathalam'' tree was planted at this road in memory of the late writer

Kamala Surayya Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity ...

by poet and activist Sugathakumari . Women's groups have often gathered at this location to pursue artistic endeavors, and to express their concerns and protests over various issues.They were concerned because this place is more related to western lifestyle As a part of the Smart Roads project, the road was dug up for construction work and was closed to traffic for over two years.

References

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External links

The Cultural Corridor
Article on Manaveeyam Veedhi from The Hindu, 2015. Transport in Thiruvananthapuram Roads in Kerala Culture of Thiruvananthapuram