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Visakha Utsav commences
The three-day Visakha Utsav, showcasing the rich heritage of the region, culture and traditions, began on a colourful note at the main venue Utsav Vedika at Ramakrishna Beach here on Friday.
Visakhapatnam: The three-day Visakha Utsav, showcasing the rich heritage of the region, culture and traditions, began on a colourful note at the main venue Utsav Vedika at Ramakrishna Beach here on Friday.
Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao released the balloons to mark the beginning of the annual festival. Minister for Finance Yanamala Ramakrishnudu was originally slated for opening the festival but could not make it.
Panchayat Raj Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, local MLAs V Anitha, Velagapudi Ramakrishnababu, BJP MLA P Vishnu Kumar Raju and Zilla Parishad chairperson Lalam Bhavani were present on the stage.
Soon after the inaugural ceremony, Chennai Sisters Lavanya and Subbalakshmi enthralled the crowd with their saxophones while young artistes performed folk dances of various kinds.
Playback singers Mano and Geetha Madhuri mesmerised the huge crowd of revellers for over two hours. Thousands of people swarmed the RK Beach to witness the inaugural function and subsequent cultural programmes braving chilly weather.
Earlier in the morning, the HRD Minister and others inaugurated the flower show at VUDA Park , one of the main attractions of the three-day festival. As many as 143 types of flowers, 25 types of dry flowers, 150 varieties of bonsai plants and various kinds of vegetables carved into designs were put on the show.
Around Rs 11.5 lakh was spent for the flower show, the VUDA officials said. The main theme of the flower show was national bird peacock made with 500kg coloured capsicum, 2,500 numbers of carnations, hybrid, chrysanthemums and chinabox foliage. Some flowers have been brought from Thailand.
The Ministers lauded the efforts of the officials who made all the arrangements in a short time. The festival was initially slated for December 25 but after Christian organisations made a request, it was deferred to January 1.
More people are likely to visit the three venues-RK Beach, the main venue, VUDA Park where the flower show was being held and at Jatara at Madhuravada where traditional and folk dances would be held during the weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
The officials are expecting tourists from neighbouring Odisha and Chhattisgarh like the previous years. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be the chief guest on the second day of the festival on Saturday and Union Minister for Urban Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu would be the chief guest at the closing ceremony.
