Children are the original tourists since most of the world is new to them, so
wouldn't that make them the ideal mascot for any Tourism Day celebrations? Well,
the answer is still yes. "Still" because ever since Calvin refused to inherit
this world, some of them have tended to refuse any endorsements of Mother Earth.
Well, you gotta make hay while the sun shines, and here's someone doing it.
The Department of Tourism is organizing a festival of culture for children and
youth on the event of the World Tourism Day for a 3-day period. The festival -
Sura Bharathi - will include cultural shows such as ballets, jugal bandi
in dance and music, magic show and dramas, and will generally have lots of entertainment
programs.
A special program called 'Learn The Fun Way' will be organized for students, with training in crafts like pottery, candle and toy making, and collections of rare photographs and coins put on display. Photo exhibitions covering Indian culture and divided into sections like Indian architecture, art, dance, music, religion, politics and society, literature, history and sciences will also be held. Experts will talk with audiovisual presentations on the above topics.
Children can wander around the area dressed up in interesting characters of national importance like Gandhi and Nehru, as also many mythological figures. Some competitions for children in areas like dance (solo & group), music (solo), painting, drama, collage, essay writing, fancy dress and quizzing will be held. There will also be a personality contest called 'Mr/Ms Heritage' for adults in the age group of 18 to 21 years.
Any other extraordinary talent in magic, mimicry, acrobatics etc. that a child
has and likes to demonstrate can approach the Tourism Department office on Tank
Bund. Please contact 345-0169/345-9991 for further details.