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| No festive mood over Jammu festival | | | | The news item appearing in today's papers about the Divisional Commissioner Jammu finalizing the arrangements of Jammu festival has further compounded the already prevailing confusion about the Jammu festival. The festival which was claimed to be a 15 days affair, was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, with low key, with lazar display, colourful lighting and bursting of crackers from below the Bahu fort, on April 1. The event was quite insipid with a very little number of visitors to the spot to witness the same, with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also complaining of thin attendance. Kick starting in a low key on April 1, for full 5 days there were no events in Jammu city and the people at large were unaware of the festival being celebrated in some other parts of the province, being inaugurated by some VIPs. Even the locals at the places where the events of festival are held are learned to be least enthusiastic and the same remaining confined to VIPs and some distinguished persons, the common people remaining away from the same. The Philosopher Walk with which the festival was claimed to take off on April 6, with mostly senior citizens participating in the same from Mahamaya green spot at 7 am in the morning, passing through the pass developed by the Forest Department for morning walkers also proved insipid view of thin participation, despite the weather getting quite pleasant and the day long rains on April 5, giving way to clean sky. Strangely the walk which was claimed to be meant mostly for the elderly people was flagged off by perhaps the youngest minister in the state government, MoS Manjeet Singh and not by any senior citizen. At least the capital city of Jammu does not appear to be in any festive mood, with no extra decoration of the historical and worth visiting places as well as main commercial spots in the city, The inclement weather, heavy rains lashing most parts of the state along with rest of northern India, too played spoil spot to the festival, with power getting disconnected for whole of the day, till late at night on April 5. Although the Divisional Commissioner Jammu has announced holding of some events in the city from April 6 onward, with long gaps, the proposed events are meant mainly for the selected people, with the commoners hardly evincing any interest or getting an opportunity to participate and even witness the same. The announcement by the Chief Minister of no curtailment in the power during the festival days, for illumination of main spots, has been observed in a negative way—thanks to the frequent disruption of power, even more than was the case earlier. In short there is no hustle and bustle in the capital city that was expected to be witnessed during the celebration of the festival. The same, it appears, is neither going to attract tourists from outside the state, nor motivate the Vaishno Devi pilgrims to stay put for an additional day or to witness the events and the locals having bonanza of entertainment getting least fulfilled. There is only hectic activity in some official circles involved in the arrangements for holding of festival, who are excited over the prospects of making hay while the sun shines. |
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