Vasundhara Raje: planning an ethnic bash

The ripples of Rajasthan Day celebrations in the land of deserts will be felt in Calcutta this summer as the expatriate community has decided to organise a host of programmes in their home away from home on March 30.

From felicitation ceremonies to folk music performances and dinner dos to discussions ? the one-day programme has been drawn up with the objective of strengthening the bonds within the community and showcasing Rajasthan?s cultural heritage to the people who are not sons of the soil.

?Every year March 30 is celebrated as Rajasthan Day as the state was born on this day in 1949. It has always been a low-key affair, but to create more excitement this year, the Vasundhara Raje government is organising a 10-day bash in Jaipur from March 21. Like all other regional chapters, we are also celebrating the day here,? said Sundeep Bhutoria, honorary general secretary, Rajasthan Federation.

The city chapter of the federation, an autonomous body of non-resident Rajasthanis, is organising the festivities in the city with help from Rajasthan?s tourism department.

While chief minister Vasundhara Raje will flag off the festivities ? designed to give a big push to tourism in the state ? in Albert Hall, Jaipur, Governor Pratibha Patel will fly down to Calcutta to kick off the celebration at Gyan Manch.

Industrialist R.P. Goenka, Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, will be present at the programme, which will see politicians, poets and government officials sharing a platform. The organisers have also invited West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The daylong celebrations will include felicitation of various city-based Rajasthani social organisations, a cultural show with folk artistes from the land of deserts and discussions. A celebrity dinner ?with traditional Rajasthani food and music ? will bring the curtains down on the festivities.

?This will not be a one-off event. As the city has a significant Rajasthani population and there is great interest about our state in Bengal, we have plans to organise various programmes here throughout the year,? summed up Bhutoria.