The initiative to forge cultural and developmental tie-up between the Spanish city of Barcelona and Kerala capital had a colourful start with a four-day cultural festival getting under way here Monday evening.
Inaugurating the event jointly with veteran film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Spanish Ambassador to India Ion de la Riva said there was great scope for cultural and developmental collaborations between the two cities.
Gopalakrishnan said the two cities had lot of
historical and cultural similarities and initiatives like this would be beneficial to both sides.
Former Union Minister, Shashi Tharoor who conceived the "twinning" concept between Thiruvananthapuram and Barcelona, was present at the function.
The speakers lauded Tharoor's effort in materialising the cultural bondage between the two cities.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by a concert by Spanish fusion band Gertrudis.
Film screenings, dramas, puppet shows and dance performances have also been planned as part of the festival in the coming days.