VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada is set to come alive with a vibrant mix of spirituality, culture, art and cuisine during the Dasara season, with the Vijayawada Utsav and National Saras Mela being organised on a grand scale to offer devotees and tourists a two-week-long festive experience. The Vijayawada Utsav, which was celebrated on a grand scale last year with the participation of the Vice-President, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and lakhs of people, is being planned on an even larger scale this year.
The Vijayawada Utsav will be held from October 11 to 20, while the National Saras Mela will be conducted from October 8 to 23 as part of the Dasara and Devi Navaratri celebrations. The two events will be organised at the 18-acre Punnami Ghat premises, with several programmes also planned at the Makineni Basavapunnaiah Stadium.
The celebrations are aimed at showcasing Vijayawada as a major cultural and artistic hub, with special programmes reflecting the traditions and culture of different States.
A special plan is being worked out to enable visitors to combine the darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga, the Vijayawada Utsav and the National Saras Mela in a single trip. Visitors have been encouraged to plan a two-day itinerary, with darshan of the Goddess in the morning and participation in the cultural programmes and mela in the evening.
The Vijayawada Utsav will feature performances by artists from different parts of the country and a range of cultural programmes over ten days. A special food festival showcasing cuisines from different regions will also be organised. Efforts are also being made to bring elephants from Mysore to Vijayawada as part of the celebrations.
“The objective is to offer everyone visiting Vijayawada during Dasara an enjoyable, spiritual and cultural experience. The government, officials and public representatives are working in coordination to make the celebrations a success,” MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) said while addressing the media.
Arrangements are being made for transportation, security, sanitation, drinking water and other essential facilities to ensure that devotees and visitors do not face any inconvenience. A curtain-raiser for the Vijayawada Utsav will be held on Monday at the Ambedkar Kala Vedika, where ministers and officials will explain the programmes planned for the celebrations, he added.