Councillor Manish Verma heralded the “fantastic diversity” of Milton Keynes as he welcomed and presented an award to the highly celebrated and viral Ottan Thullal performer, Manalur Gopinath, at a community event in Monkston earlier this month.
This occasion, organised by Sahridayavedhi MK, was Manalur Gopinath’s first performance in the UK and there was a great turnout to witness his extraordinary performance. Ottan Thullal is form of folk dance from Kerala in Southern India and dates back to the 18th Century. The performances are humorous, colourful and often feature some social critiques.
Cllr Verma was honoured to present Manalur with the “kalaratha” award from Sahridayavedhi MK and added:
“I would like to thank Mr Pillai for organising this incredible celebration of art and bringing such a celebrated performer to Milton Keynes, it was wonderful to witness Manalur Gopinath’s first ever performance in the UK and I truly enjoyed his performance. I hope events such as this will encourage more people to celebrate the fantastic diverse cultures in Milton Keynes”
