Darjeeling, Oct. 21: It will be the biggest party the hill town has hosted. A 10-day carnival, complete with food, music and entertainment, designed to liven up the tourists and clear away the gloom hanging heavy over the beautiful hill town after Sunday’s ropeway tragedy.

The concept of Carnival 2003, which has been planned on the lines of the Goa festival, was incidentally floated by the residents of Darjeeling.

Of course, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, the municipality and the police are pitching in with their bit of help and support.

Samir Sharma, one of the organisers of the carnival, said: “Darjeeling tourism needs a morale booster and the carnival is the right way to start off.”

Paragliding, white water rafting, a pony pageant, a rally showcasing the Land Rovers that were introduced during the British Raj, dog shows, cultural dos and food festivals are some of the programmes that will be held during the festival.

Despite the grand plans, no committee has been formed exclusively for the carnival. According to Sharma, every organisation in the town is free to participate in event management.

The carnival will cost an estimated Rs 15 lakh, most of which is coming from sponsors and contribution from the residents.

“The entire town is getting together for the fest. While some are offering free accommodation to the participants, others are providing their vehicles. Everyone is pitching in with something or the other,” said Sharma.

D.T. Tamlong, the chief principal secretary of the DGHC, has announced full support for the event. The Darjeeling police have echoed Tamlong’s words.

And there is more. To cheer up the tourists, there will be lilting strains of music played by the the Darjeeling police band that will parade the streets during the festival period even as 20-odd social organisations and schools stage shows at Chowrastha.

“The entire town will be lit up. We will also have a musical concert for three days, involving the best bands from Darjeeling, Kurseong and Sikkim,” said Sharma.

As the carnival coincides with the centenary celebrations of the Happy Valley tea garden there will be some more events and contests.

The most popular ones are kite-flying and momo-eating. The celebration will kick off from Happy Valley with a candle march in the evening.

The spirit of the people has manifested itself through campaigns and welcome rallies several times in the past.

When the boarding schools of the hill town reopened after a long winter vacation, the people organised a Welcome Home campaign to make the students feel better. When landslides crippled Mirik, it was a Mero Mirik Hamro Darjeeling Bataa (My Mirik – From Our Darjeeling) campaign aimed at collecting relief materials.

Darjeeling alone was able to send more than 10 truckloads of relief material to the victims because of the campaign.

It is this indomitable spirit that once again finds expression in this carnival that starts November 7.