India Gate misses 'Bharat Parva' this year
Yearly event of the government ‘Bharat Parva’, which is usually held on the occasion of Independence Day, could not take place this year. Sources said that preparation for the event which goes on for a week at India Gate had already begun, however, the program was cancelled this year. The event is organized by Culture ministry in association with other ministries.
While the officials claimed that bad weather and rain was the main reason behind cancellation of the event, sources claimed that ministry got busy in other event ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ launched recently by the government and the yearly event could not happen.
Centre started ‘Bharat Parva’ with an idea to revive culture in India and boost domestic tourism. Last year, it was organized at the lounge of India Gate and the rich cultural and ethnic heritage of India, including cuisine and handicrafts from across the country was showcased as part of the festival.
Sources said that like last year, the event was planned this time as well to mark the 70th Independence Day. In fact, this year more elements were added to the event as the country is celebrating 70th Independence Day. There was a plan to create some selfie point where visitors could enjoy their moments during the event. However, it could not be held and was finally cancelled . “Preparations had begun and states were also informed so that they could participate in the event,” said a source.
Officials of the union ministry of culture claimed that the event was cancelled due to bad weather. “Last year there was some difficulty due to rain. Lot of food items had gone waste. Due to this, many of the food stall owners did not show interest in the event,” said an official.
Incidentally, Government started ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ event this year and all the ministers and party leaders were instructed to participate in the programme making it a big success. Sources claimed that even union culture minister Mahesh Sharma got busy in ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ and probably this could be the main reason behind cancelling the Bharat Parva. One of the programme was organized on August 16 at IGNCA in Delhi in which the minister participated. Sharma also visited Coimbatore for one such event recently.
“Rain and bad weather during August is not a new thing and it was expected. So, rain can’t be the sole reason behind this,” added the source.