Thrissur Pooram festival of Kerala will not be held on May 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but the festive fervour came alive in a forex sheet when an ardent Pooram lover chose to recreate it using his artistic talent.
Sunil Kumar from Chittilappilly, who works as a creative designer at a private firm in Sharjah, Dubai, every year comes to Kerala on leave to attend Thrissur Pooram.
"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," said Sunil Kumar.
One of the most popular rituals connected with the festival is the starting of Pooram with an elephant opening the south door of Paramekkavu temple accomped 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," he said.
Thrissur Pooram, one of the biggest festivals of Kerala known for its parading of elephants, Panchavadyam (percussion ensemble) and mega display of fireworks, was cancelled due to the lockdown.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala has 495 positive COVID-19 cases of which, 369 patients have recovered while four patients have died due to the deadly virus so far.
( With inputs from ANI )