Chennai, Jan 13 (UI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated the "Chennai Sangamam-Namma Ooru Thiruvizha," Tamil cultural festival coinciding with the traditional Pongal festival, here on Monday evening. Mr Stalin inaugurated the four-day festival at the Ekambaranathar Temple Thidal in the city. After the inauguration, Mr Stalin and his Cabinet colleagues also witnessed a music and dance festival performed by 250 artistes to mark the occasion. The annual festival, beginning tomorrow, will be held till January 17 and would showcase the traditional folk arts and culture of of Tamil Nadu. It would be held daily from 6 pm to 9 pm at 18 locations in the city showcasing different dance forms of Tamil Nadu that is all set to enthrall the people during the Pongal (harvest) festival holidays. More than 1,500 artistes would be performing over 50 types of folk arts and dances, besides the famous Kerala's Thaiyyam dance, Maharashtra's Lavani, Rajasthan's Kumer dancer, West Bengal' Dhanuchi dance, Goa's lamp dance form and Uttarakhand's Sabeli dance. An official release said apart from Chennai, the Sangamam festival would also be held in eight cities--Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Kancheepuram and Vellore-- this year. It said a food festival would also be held during the festival with various stalls dishing out state's traditional cuisines to the visitors, besides a handicraft expo by the state-owned Poompuhar. During the event the traditional sports like Silamabam would also be showcased, it said...////...