MUMBAI: In a gesture of respect for the victims of Sunday's Tsunami tragedy that badly hit the Kerala shores also, Malayalam channel Asianet has decided to do away with a live event it had lined up as part of its New Year programming.

The Tsunami death toll in Kerala is officially 160 as per the latest reports.

Asianet vice president programming Sreekantan Nair told indiantelevision.com that the show was cancelled looking at the current mood in the state, especially in the coastal areas.

"People are not in a mood to celebrate. So honouring the sentiments, we are taking the show off," Nair said.

Asianet had decided to telecast the Welcome 2005 event live on 31 December at 9:30 pm onwards. The channel had announced that the event would include musical programmes and comedy skits.