Nation-wide tourism celebrations comes to an end
As a grand finale to the 21 day ‘Paryatan Parv’, a three day event is being organised at the Rajpath Lawns, New Delhi from October 23 to 25. The “Grand Finale” was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Home Affairs at the venue and K.J. Alphons, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism presided over the inaugural function.
‘Paryatan Parv’ was organised to showcase the cultural diversity of the country and reinforce the principle of “Tourism for All” by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with other Central Ministries, State Governments and stakeholders.
Addressing on the occasion, Rajnath Singh congratulated the Ministry of Tourism for organizing such a grand event for the promotion of tourism. He said that India is a country of unity in diversity whether it is in the field of art, music, traditions or costumes etc. “If we want to make India a super power in the world then tourism can play an important role in it. We should collectively try to increase the share of tourism in our GDP,” emphasised Rajnath Singh.
He said that India has culturally controlled a major part of the world and has an ancient tradition of “Atithi Devo Bhav”. “We will have to inculcate ancient traditional values in our people.” He informed that the Ministry of Home Affairs has also taken several measures to promote tourism viz. e-visa that is given within 72 hours. So far, more than 29 lakh tourists have availed this facility. He opined that the private sector should also be involved in the promotion of tourism. K.J. Alphons, in his addressal said
that the ‘Paryatan Parv’ has been organized with the objective of drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of “Tourism for All”. He said that India is an incredible country and its cuisine, music, performing art and dance are unique and amazing. Also, our ancient heritage sites are remarkable and now musical performances have been started at many heritage sites.
Conclusion of the nation-wide celebration of tourism will be open to the public from 12 noon to 10 pm on all three days and will include cultural performances, a crafts bazaar multi-cuisine food court and other interactive activities to keep visitors engaged at the event venue.
First day of grand finale witnessed some amaz- ing cultural performances by troupes from different States and Union Territories of the country. Gujarat presented a folk dance of Siddhi Dhamal, Haryana showcased Bubm Lehri, Phag, Bihar was there with a beautiful Indradhanush show, Madhya Pradesh presented Matki Nritya, Chhau Dance was presented by State of Jharkhand whereas Kerala showcased fusion of Oppana, Margam.
The food court has approx. 50 stalls showcasing unique distinctive cuisine by different states and the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) with street food from different regions as well as by the Institutes of Hotel Management and ITDC. The Crafts Mela with 50 stalls showcases the diverse handicrafts and handlooms of the country, arranged by the State Governments and Ministry of Textiles through the Office of the Development Commissioners of Handicrafts and handlooms. There are 15 theme State Pavilions where each state showcases its tourism products and destinations. Cultural Performances by troupes from the different States/uts of the country are being staged from 1 pm to 4:30 pm on all three days.
In addition to the cultural performances, special cultural events are being staged from 6 pm onwards on all three days. These include “Dhrupad Vocal” by Prashant and Nishant Mallick (Mallick Brothers) on October 24, “Purab Ang Gayaki of Banaras Gharana” by Savita Devi on October 25 and choreographed cultural performances by the North Zone Cultural Centre on all three days.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways will grace the occasion at 5:15 pm on October 24. The closing ceremony of the event will be held from 5:15 pm to 5:45 pm on October 25 with Arun Jaitley, Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs as the Chief Guest.