The Hindu : Other States / Gujarat News : Modi offers tourists Gujarat `on platter' literally!

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Monday, Oct 18, 2004

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Modi offers tourists Gujarat `on platter' literally!

AHMEDABAD, OCT. 17. The Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the `Gujarat Swadotsav-2004' as part of the `Vibrant Gujarat Navratri Mahotsava' extravaganza here.

Organised by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs of the State Government, the food festival yesterday sought to offer a feast of all the Gujarati delicacies at one place.

So, one could enjoy the `Baans Ke Phoolon Ki Sabzi' from Valsad, the `Pala Ki Bhaji', the Pakoras made by inmates of Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, or the dozens of varieties of traditional `Khamans' and `Khamanis', `Dhoklas', or `Navtal Ka Samosas'. If the tourist's liked spicy things, he could choose the Kathiawadi food, or the sweet-spicy chutney of Surendranagar as well. All at the University Grounds here.

The new-look Navratri Festival in Gujarat, is being show-cased by the Government as a major event to woo the globe-trotting tourist to the State. So far, the biggest Gujarati Festival was largely a non-governmental and social initiative.

Taking a cue from the Annual Carnival of Brazil, the State Government began to sponsor the gala event from last year when it began to organise the festival officially under the trade-mark of `Vibrant Gujarat'.

While last year's celebrations were focussed mainly to attract the foreign investor through an Investors' Summit, this year, the Modi Government has tried to sell the State as a major tourist destination.

In Gujarat, it is Navratri with a difference this year. Apart from the Food Festival, the State Government is making attempts to boost different segments of tourism, like religious, heritage, eco-adventure, and medical tourism.

Non-Resident Gujaratis are known to flock Gujarat in the past three months of the year to combine in the trip not only the Navratri Festival but also sight-seeing across the country as well as taking medical treatments at state-of-the-art super-speciality hospitals at Ahmedabad and other places.

The Navratri extravaganza informally began on October 11 with the five "Kala Yatras" taken out by artistes in five major cities of Gujarat on bullock carts, camel carts and decorated elephants. It was formally inaugurated by Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on October 14 on the banks of the Kankaria Lake in the heart of Ahmedabad. About 700 artistes from 17 States across the country performed their respective dances on the stage.

The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated a series of international seminars on religious-spiritual tourism, adventure-eco tourism, heritage tourism and medical tourism on October 15. Besides, the State Government had also set up four theme pavilions on these aspects of tourism and organised a handloom-handicrafts-village industries products, and a photo gallery. The grand finale of the Festival will be held in Vadodara, on October 27.

-- UNI

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Modi offers tourists Gujarat `on platter' literally!