As Thrissur braces up for a subdued Pooram, artist creates replica of famous Kerala festival
Arguably one of the biggest festivals of south India and the biggest temple festival of Kerala, Thrissur Pooram got cancelled for the first time in 58 years due to the coronavirus pandemic that has brought life as we know it to a standstill. Thousands of people visit the festival from across the world. Sunil Kumar, a Sharjah-based artist recreated the Pooram on a forex sheet when he created a replica of the famous festival.
Sunil, who is from Chittilappilly, comes to Kerala every year to attend the Thrissur Pooram festival. "This time too I reached Thrissur adjusting my leaves prior to the lockdown and was planning to return after attending Thrissur Pooram. That is when the Pooram was cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown. So using the time, I created the Pooram replica on a forex sheet," Sunil Kumar told news agency ANI.
One of the iconic rituals connected with the festival is the starting of Pooram with an elephant opening the south door of Paramekkavu temple accompanied by the sound of temple percussion instruments and cheers from the crowd. "I always wanted to do a model of this scene of elephant entry. But, as we are currently in lockdown, I used the time to recreate the scene," Sunil added.
Kerala has had 497 coronavirus cases including 4 deaths. Over 380 people in the state have recovered after contracting the virus.
