New Delhi: The capital will witness a mega event to mark the Independence Day with the Modi government deciding to hold a cultural spectacle spanning six days from August 12, nearly two-and-half-months after it organised an extravaganza to celebrate its second anniversary at India Gate.
The event 'Bharat Parv' will be held in the heart of the national capital at Rajpath to celebrate India's Independence and promote the spirit of patriotism among citizens and is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tourism Ministry officials said.
There will be as many as 100 stalls set up to display cuisine and handicraft of various states. However, unlike the 'two-year celebrations' in May where ministers and mega Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan took part, the 'Bharat Parv' will see participation of local artistes from different states.
The event would also have performance by armed forces bands. The historic India Gate would also be kept illuminated during the event, which will be inaugurated on 12th August 2016 at 5 pm. The celebrations will conclude on August 18.
The 'Bharat Parv' will see display of culture, cuisine and handicraft of various states through their regional associations, 'sangathans', cultural and social organisations, the ministry officials said.
There will be 50 stalls dedicated to cuisine of various regions of the country and 50 more stalls will display the colourful handicraft and handloom items.
In addition, there will be 12 to 15 separate pavilions earmarked for states to display their tourism products, culture & heritage, achievements, development progress etc, the officials said.
"The states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Haryana and Kerala will bring local association and sangthans to showcase diverse yet united flavours of the country," they said. This is first-of-its-kind celebrations to mark the Independence Day, they added.
Besides Tourism Ministry, which is nodal ministry for this event, other ministries like Textiles, Culture and Defence have also pitched in to make the programme a success.
To review the arrangements, Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi recently chaired a meeting which was also attended by representatives from various central government ministries, representative from state governments/UTs, authorities from Police, health and CPWD.
