Chandigarh all set to host the 41st Annual Rose Festival

Chandigarh all set to host the 41st Annual Rose Festival

MUNISH DHIMAN  16th Feb 2013

A scene from last year’s Floral Hat competition he city is all set to host the 41st Rose Festival from 22 — 24 February, at the Rose Garden, Sector 16 and Leisure Valley, Sector 10. The Rose Garden was set up in 1967 and a fair share of credit goes to the unstinted efforts of Dr. M.S. Randhawa, the first chief commissioner of Chandigarh, and a keen horticulturist. He is also credited with making the city cleaner and greener, with millions of trees planted and a large number of green belts and gardens established. Sources claim that Chandigarh's historic Rose Garden is the largest in Asia, with 30 acres of land possessing rose species from all over the world, besides plants and ornamental trees. Earlier the Department of Tourism, Chandigarh, used to organise the event solo. Since last year the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has been assigned the responsibilities to play an active role in organising the event.  While talking about the festival, Mayor Subhash Chawla says, "Every year, the festival assumes a whole new look, with something interesting added to enhance the grandeur of the event. This year, too, we have added two more competitions under the Rose King and Rose Queen category for senior citizens. More parking lots have been earmarked this year keeping in view the parking problem the event had witnessed last year following inflow of unexpected visitors. We have also requested Chandigarh Police to deploy a contingent of lady constables to pre-empt chances of eve-teasing." The annual festivity offers a variety of colourful events and competitions. Various events spanning three days include a flower arranging competition, rose Prince and Princess competitions for  kids, brass and pipe band competitions, fancy floral hat competition, and on-the-spot painting competition, rose quiz, folk dance competition, photography competition, antakshari, and kite flying competition. The main attractions are the roses themselves, but different competitions, cultural shows, add to its charm. The event, which is all set to entertain enthusiasts, has already gained popularity among the youth.  Adding on the entertainment quotient, there will be live performances during the three day event, by singer Kunal Ganjawala on the Bollywood night, Punjabi Singer Sarabjt Cheema during the Punjabi Night and Rajiv Thakur of the Laughter Challenge fame will keep audiences rolling on the floor during a comedy show. Young models will set the stage on fire while competing for the title 'Mr. and Miss Rose'. This year's festival will be a complete entertainment package and these events and many other cultural events and special performances will add to its attraction. There will be day-long cultural performances at the open air main stage platform in Rose Garden and evening performances at the Leisure Valley. Both commercial and food stalls will also be set up here at the Leisure Valley. With people thronging from all across the tri city, the festival expects a huge footfall very year. According to sources, the footfalls at the event have crossed over 300,000 in the recent years. http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/chandigarh-all-set-to-host-the-41stnannual-rose-festival