Other States - Orissa   

Puri beach festival commences

BHUBANESWAR: With just one troupe from abroad, the so-called five-day international Puri beach festival being hosted by the Puri Hotel Association (PHA) with financial support of the State and the Centre commenced at Puri on Monday evening.

Tourism Minister Debi Prasad Mishra inaugurated the event that was launched by the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Orissa (HRAO) 16 years ago as India’s first festival of its kind. However, HRAO pulled out itself following a rift between the HRAO and PHA and the latter took over the event last year.

Minister Mishra, who chaired the festival committee meeting here last month, had announced that the event would be made international this year with participations of troupes from SAARC nations and involvement of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Ministry of Culture.

However, contrary to the announcements, the festival has the participation of lone troupe from Bangladesh.

The festival has also lacked due publicity this year. The Capital City does not have any trace of publicity about the festival that claims to attract international attention. And the invitation card that has been circulated among few officials and the media agencies here do not contain the names of the troupes, artistes or the cultural events being presented daily in the festival while details of more than five dozens of guests have been highlighted in it.

“The state and central governments have a stake in the festival but none of these agencies have formulated any guideline for the festival hosts who care more for the politicians and bureaucrats than the artistes and the visitors.

As a result, the event, budgeted at about Rs.30 lakh, does not get the desired response from the tourists.

Its mission is missing; so also the focus,” admitted a senior officer of the tourism directorate here without wishing to be named. Contacted, festival committee chairperson R.K.Das Mohapatra admitted that “there were certain lapses in organizing the festival this year”.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Scientist stresses better research facilities
Youths take the initiative to protect coastline
Orthopaedic meet
Irregularities in tender process for railway overbridge alleged
Puri beach festival commences
Hemp cultivation a flourishing business
State criticised for lathicharge on teachers
3,264 villages drought hit
Man convicted in arson case
Tension runs high in Narayanpatna
Ravenshaw strike enters second day
State furthering interests of big firms: Left parties
Orthopaedic meet inaugurated

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu