Sanaa Abdussamad
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
From urban development to cultural dynamism, and building an empathetic community, Kochi has made progress in 2025. MetroPlus speaks to social entrepreneurs on what they would like to see continued in 2026.
A city that backs its children
Over the last year, I have seen a meaningful shift in how the city shows up for its children, and I have experienced it closely through the Little Big Festival and our child-led initiatives, where children and teenagers help plan, create, and take real responsibility for what they build. When we started (the Little Big Festival), there was no guarantee that a large-scale festival centred entirely around children would work, or that parents would trust an approach that gave kids so much agency. I like to believe the first edition helped change that. Parents of toddlers, six-year-olds, and even sixteen-year-olds didn’t just show up — they backed the idea, encouraged independence, and helped these experiences come alive. Between our first and second editions, it has been heartening to see more people across the city begin curating thoughtful, children-first and kids-only experiences. A year ago, this kind of focus was rare. As we move into 2026, what I hope continues is this trust, from parents, institutions, and the city itself, because when a city genuinely backs its children, the result isn’t just successful events, but a stronger, more thoughtful community.
Sanaa Abdussamad
Curator of Little Big Festival
Ranjit Thampy
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A clean and safe Marine Drive
2025 saw the result of a campaign that started in 2018 for the upkeep of Marine Drive. I filed a public interest litigation in 2019 regarding the poor maintenance of the walkway. It was being used as a garbage dump and it was a centre of antisocial activities. I have been walking on Marine Drive for 27 years and have been witness to its decline. After a prolonged legal battle, in 2025, the High Court ordered the setting up of a permanent monitoring committee involving the GCDA, police, PCB and Corporation with the RDO as the nodal officer. This has brought a certain accountability and this is what I hope continues into 2026. Marine Drive is a nerve centre of Kochi – a tourist attraction and it is of prime importance to keep it clean and safe. I will continue my efforts and ensure that the Marine Drive remains so. However, as a city, we need to start making use of public transport, create green zones and decentralise waste management at the ward level in order for the city to truly evolve.
Ranjit Thampy
Social Activist
Deepa Ganesh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Public transport, indicator of a developing Kochi
The Kochi Metro is continuously expanding, phase wise, connecting all parts of the city and the Kochi Metro card enables access to all these services. As a person who prefers public transport for commuting, I love the phenomenal growth of Kochi Metro. The introduction of electric feeder buses providing the last mile connectivity with Metro stations is a major development. More feeder buses will encourage people to go off cars and bikes and reduce carbon emissions in the city. Public transport is the best indicator of a city’s development. Countries such as Japan have the world’s best public transport systems enabling easy commuting at reasonable costs. Kochi is catching up! This is what we want to see in the coming years as well. In terms of waste management, Kudumbasree with CREDAI is doing yeoman service by collecting segregated waste. But there is a need to introduce new technologies for recycling. A panel of local experts with sufficient exposure to higher levels of technologies and proven track records should be having a say. In 2026, Kochi will need to focus more on waste management and recycling. Godspeed to a growing Kochi.
Deepa Ganesh
Green building and sustainability consultant
GTCS, Kochi
Suresh TR
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Space for contemporary art
The Kochi Muziris Biennale has definitely made Kochi an international destination for art. A number of parallel art movements and collectives have also been active, contributing to the way the city perceives art. Art awareness has increased and the way serious art is pursued is commendable. 2025 saw a number of art fairs, camps and workshops; exhibitions as well. The first edition of Kaladhara (an open art fair organised by Prussian Blue Art Hub) in 2025 was a huge success in terms of people’s response. Without the support of the community, such events would not work. We hope to see the same enthusiasm in the second edition of Kaladhara to be held in January 2026.
Suresh TR
Artist, Founder of Prussian Blue Art Hub
Sreejith P
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A year for dance
2025 was a year that brought much happiness to me. It was a year when many good things happened to me including being able to host the Movement Festival of Kerala, a festival of contemporary dance. When it comes to change, it has been an ongoing process, especially for the past five years because of the proliferation of social media. Folks can access the changes that are happening via socials and keep abreast of trends. A culture of dance, of modern, contemporary dance, has developed in the city which I hope to see sustained. There are more dance studios now, the aspect of fitness has come into dance. This past year was positive for the performance arts, and, I feel, going forward the potential of dance, with the health aspect included, the performances, and the programmes will get better. Traditional art forms also have scene a change, there is a return of many which could have been lost. I am optimistic this movement will continue, my hope for the new year is that it does. The new performance and workshop spaces will also see a lot more “movement”, I am certain we will see more dance productions — national and international — workshops, performances and more because, now, there is literally space for it in the city. 2026 will be a better year!
Sreejith P
Dance choreographer/artistic director
(with inputs from Shilpa Nair Anand)
Published – January 02, 2026 11:55 am IST