Mattannur: Mural paintings depicting the heritage of Malabar region and Indian dance forms are ready at the passenger terminal of the Kannur International Airport which will be inaugurated in a few days. The paintings are arranged behind the checking area on the first floor.
The artwork was created by 10 artists in three months and highlights the traditions of Malabar. The paintings depict cricket, cuisine and circus of Thalassery along with the forts built by the British in the region. The Arakkal Palace, Samoothiri Kovilakam, Vadakkan Pattu, sacred groves and temples are other topics.
In addition, dance forms of other regions of India are also painted on the walls of the airport. They include North Indian group dance and traditional dance forms of North East states. Another interesting painting is that of Yakshagana near the escalator. Great care has been taken to depict the costumes and other paraphernalia in elaborate detail.
Eco-friendly opening
The publicity campaigns for the inauguration of the airport will be a plastic-free affair, said KIAL (Kannur International Airport Limited) authorities. No flex boards or plastic material will be used for the campaigns, they stressed.
The green protocol will be followed during the inaugural function in which at least one lakh people are expected to attend. At the venue, instead of flex boards, cloth banners will be displayed. Though the eco-friendly cloth will be expensive, KIAL has decided to use it in order to highlight its commitment to the environment.
Another decision taken by KIAL is to utilise solar energy for all functions of the airport in future.
Preparations in full swing
With barely days to go for the inaugural function, activities are in full swing for launching flight operations. Advanced machinery and equipment have started arriving. The equipment for loading and unloading cargo from aircraft reached the airport recently. Imported from France, the equipment was brought to Chennai by ship and transported to Kannur on six trucks. This is for use by Air India Express. Four more trucks will reach Kannur in the coming days.
The seats to be installed in the passenger terminal will also be brought soon. Work to fix the seats has already begun.
Meanwhile, the tent to host the inaugural function is coming up on the airport premises near the ATC building.
The inauguration is on December 9.