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View Point
Going traditional in Patiala
Industry observers are impressed that the Patiala Heritage
Festival even in its infancy has shown potential to blossom into a major event
in the country's tourist calendar. Launched in 2003, its fourth edition had
a successful run for a week in mid-February. To begin with, the idea was to
aim at reviving the cultural traditions of the pre-partition undivided Punjab
by presenting on a common stage, exponents of the region's gharanas. With the
runaway success of the very first festival, larger scope and new dimensions
appeared on the horizon. The subsequent efforts added links between the traditions
of Punjab with the rest of India. And, in the 2006 version were included performances
that came from across the oceans. All this to reinforce the fact that music
and arts have no boundaries. So, Carnatic music and Bharat Natyam shared the
honours in 2004 and 2005. This year the Festival opened with a performance of
the Swan Lake ballet in Mohiniattam by Bharat Shivaji and party. Another spectacular
presentation was Navtej Johar's Bharat Natyam set to the music of Madan Gopal
Singh in an unique combination of the Tamil mythical tale of romance with the
story of Heer Ranjha. Shobha Mudgal was this year's classical music exponent.
From Pakistan came Farida Khanum the ghazal specialist, among others. A surprise
item was the Vikarma Veena; the surprise being that this instrument originated
in Patiala as the Been.
To complete the Festival, there was the popular craft mela,
rural sports including tent pegging. Another innovation was Heritage Walks through
the city's main monuments with trained guides. The largest participation was
for Qila Mubarak, once the seat of the rulers of the princely state left to
decay when royalty moved to new abodes. A massive renovation project with help
from Punjabi NRIs abroad is underway. Qila Mubarak's main courtyard is the venue
for most of the concerts. With aesthetic lighting it offers a fairytale backdrop.
Who are the enthusiasts attending the Festival and how has it managed to take
off in such a short time are appropriate questions asked by observers who have
seen similar efforts fall by the wayside. To begin with the locals and the specially
invited VIPs were to be seen. Just off the expressway from Delhi to Chandigarh
accessibility was never a problem. But Patiala had no hotel worth the name.
Today, it has three new hotels offering between them a hundred reasonably appointed
rooms. This year there were a large number of visitors to the Festival who had
driven in from Delhi and other neighbouring cities, of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal.
That brings us to the question about the secret of the success
of the Festival. A short answer would be commitment, continuity and political
support. The Festival is the brainchild of Capt Amarinder Singh and S K Misra.
The duo put it on the drawing board at a time when both were actively associated
with INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage, as chairman
and vice chairman respectively. As a joint venture with the state government,
the Festival records a full complement of political support.
In a chat with this writer, Patiala's deputy commissioner,
Tejvee Singh who bears a major responsibility for the Festival bandobast, said
even established hotel chains have become aware of the potential of the district
headquarter. The Neemrana group which specialises in Heritage properties has
already signed an MoU with the state government to convert Rajendra Kothi -
a 19th century palace - into a 15 suite Heritage hotel for upmarket visitors.
He added that at the state's request, the Union Tourism Ministry has made a
special allocation for promoting Patiala as a preferred destination. The INTACH
chairman, said that as part of the development of Qila Mubarak, the Trust is
overseeing the project as an international tourist attraction it is proposed
to convert one part of the fort into a Heritage hotel. There is now more to
Patiala than its famous peg.
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