The air
of festivity engulfs Arunachal Pradesh with the celebration of a series of festivals like
Buddha Mahotsava in the month of October followed by Parasuram Kund Mela and Brahmaputra
Darshan in January. The celebration culminates by organizing the festival of Arunachal
commemorating the Statehood day on February 20 every year. This year the festival
of Arunachal will be celebrated from February 11 to 20th 2003 with its great finale on
Statehood day. Festival of Arunachal aims to capture the essence of
Arunachal displaying the splendor of rich and diverse life of the people of the state. The
cultural troupes from all districts will perform in the festival. It will provide an
opportunity where the general public can participate enthusiastically and enjoy the
festival. For providing an opportunity to all districts, their participation has been
envisaged in various events. District Days will be observed on different days. One of the
important components of festival is District Pavilions, displaying the best of the
district in terms of handicrafts, arts, culture or economic development. Food
festival, unveiling the choicest dishes of various tribes is expected to do a roaring
business. The competition of the locally produced brew, apong etc. shall be an important
highlight of the food festival. The flower show will display the rich bio-diversity of he
state. The festival will not be complete without providing and opportunity to the people
to witness the cultures of the various states of the country. The cultural teams from
various zonal cultural centres are being invited to perform during the festival. The
National School of Drama and Sangeet Natak Academy are also expected to perform during the
festival. The exhibition stalls shall continue throughout the day. However, cultural
events shall be held from 5.00 PM onwards everyday. The events shall be held
simultaneously at the twin capitalties of Itanagar and Naharlagun.
Programme Highlights :
Departmental Stalls: One section will have developmental
departments in various sectors showcasing the achievements of the State.
Trade Fair:
It will be organized with the help of Arunachal Chamber of commerce and Industry and the
Market Welfare Associations. Dealers covering the whole spectrum of consumer goods
including various branded white goods will present products with festival discounts. No
fee will be charged from them for the stalls. The interested traders can contact ADC
Itanagar.
Handicrafts Expo: Director (Textiles and Handicrafts ) will organize crafts
Bazaar/Handicrafts Expo housing the best of handicrafts of the state with artisans
carrying out live demonstration. Director (T&H), NGOs and other cooperatives actively
involved in the production and marketing of handicrafts, will also set up stalls in this
section.
Bio-diversity Festival: State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) will organize flower/orchid show
and competition. Agriculture Deptt, horticulture Deptt, Zoological Survey of India,
Botanical Survey of India, medicinal plants wing etc. will also take part. Apart from
showcasing progress in the Horticulture mission/Floriculture mission, competition on
quality fruits, vegetables, rice and other cereals will be organized.
Food Festival:
Emphasis will be on the choicest local cuisine of the state and not just on typical Indian
food. Choicest local brew/beer of a variety of cereals, vegetables and fruits will also be
available with prizes for best brews.
Cultural Functions: Every evening during the Festival in IG Park Itanagar and in Naharlagun,
cultural programmes will be held from 5.00 pm onwards. These programmes will be organized
by Director (Art & Culture). The best of traditional cultural items from each of the
districts will be performed by cultural troupes to be sent from each district by the DCs.
Cultural troupes from various zonal cultural centres will also participate to perform the
best of traditional & classical dances of the country. Participation of Sangeet Natak
Academy and National School of Drama is expected.
Fashion Show:
Dir (T&H) will organize a fashion show with traditional patterns, motifs and designs
of the local textiles. The NIFT designs of eri/munga silk will also be showcased.
Beauty Contest: The DC, Papum Pare District will organize a beauty contest with one
participant from each of the 15 districts to be selected by respective DCs
concerned.
Book Fair:
The book fair will have books from National Book Trust including books on the north east.
This being organized by the DC, Papum Pare District in association with NBT.
Sports festival: The sports festival will be organized by Director (Sports & Youth
Affairs) with few events of modern sports & games such as marathon and football. The
main emphasis will be on demonstrations of indigenous/traditional sports/games from each
of the districts with atleast one traditional sport a day. Apart from this, demonstration
of aerobics and a few other items will be done by Sangay Lhaden Sports Academy.
District Pavilions: The pavilion will be representative of the district with the best
of the district in every field including the unique elements being showcased. The
Pavilions will be conceived and designed by the DCs.
For more information contact Deputy Commissioner, Papum Pare
District
Web Site : http://www.arunachaltourism.com
