Kerala’s Kottayam is now all about art. Maravanthuruth, a lake-side village which opened its first-ever water street for tourists, is now planning to launch a two-kilometre-long art street at the state’s discretion. Tourists will get to witness the vibrant culture of Kerala’s murals splashed across the concrete walls. Along with this, another three-day painting workshop will be organised in the village.
As part of the Responsible Tourism Mission of the state tourism department, the initiative aims at building Kottayam into a structured tourism destination.
As mentioned, there will be a two-kilometre long art street. The long stretch will comprise flora and fauna, history, folklore, art forms, festivals, and traditional jobs, which include toddy tapings on the compound walls and public buildings. These can be seen on either side of the long stretch of road.
The three-month project will include artists coming from different parts of the villages through Captains Social Foundation, a youth-led social enterprise. The artists will receive feedback and assistance from the local residents.
Once the project is completed, the street will glisten with contemporary and other genres of art (the ones which are usually seen in art scapes). It will be followed by storytelling trails and street walks.
The project is divided into two phases. The first phase comprises a one-kilometre stretch of the street that has already been converted into an art street. The second phase will begin its implementation in September’s last week.
The art street will take the tourists to the water street where they can sail in country boats or shikharas. As part of this project, the canals have also been cleaned. The boatmen will provide information about the murals as they pass by different destinations.
The locality is also well-equipped with a reading library, which is painted by the artists. They have also painted the compound walls of several houses and the walls of the LP school.
