Nellore: In the backdrop of the Flamingo Festival being organised as the state's mega festival for the first time, authorities have been planning to give wide publicity to the unique festival not only in AP but also in the neighbouring Chennai. The city is just 90 km from Pulicat lake and Nelapattu bird sanctuary as well as Sullurpeta, the main venue for the festival.
The administration has been organising the festival every year to mark the arrival of thousands of migratory birds, especially flamingos to Nelapattu bird sanctuary, widely known as their winter home.
Bird watchers and tourists throng the sanctuary and Pulicat lake to watch flamingos hunt fish during the daytime. The festival is being held for the last 14 years to attract tourists to the sanctuary from the state and neighbouring states but lack of publicity has been the reason for poor attendance from the neighbouring state. This is one of the reasons for planning wide publicity in Chennai city to highlight the unique festival to the metro citizens and generate interest to ensure their attendance.
The festival is scheduled to be held in the second week of January 2016 on January 9 and 10. Probably for the first time, the state government has allotted '1 crore for conducting the festival. An advertisement film on the migratory birds and Pulicat lake is being readied for publicity in theatres at Chennai and also in AP.
Chennai-based Satyam Theatres, who have more than 25 screens in different parts of Chennai, came forward to play the festival advertisement in their theatres, according to Nellore joint collector A. Md. Imtiyaz.
To cover the social media, in addition to the ad film, a Facebook page is also being launched to draw the attention of people. This is in addition to hoardings all along the highway and posters at all vantage points.
Meanwhile, a series of events are in the offing to highlight the importa-nce of the festival. Quiz competitions are being organised in all the schools besides, 5K and 2K runs in every mandal, municipality and town in Nellore district and also a food festival at Nellore on January 8. For the benefit of visitors to the bird sanctuary and Pulicat Lake, cultural programmes are also being arranged at junior college grounds in Sullurpeta during the two-day festival.
