Darjeeling, Nov. 16: After 10 days of
fun and frolic, the curtains finally came down on Darjeeling
Carnival late this evening. While the absence of Union ministers
Renuka Chowdhury and Priya Ranjan Das Munshi dampened the
spirit, the success of the Northeast youth festival, at the
end of which around 100 participants made a collective pledge
to work for peace, was a morale booster for the organisers.
“We were also able to bring smaller
destinations, especially Mirik, into the limelight once again
and hope the effort will help convert the idyllic place to
a major tourist attraction. After all, the carnival is also
about bringing more prosperity in the hills,” said Samir
Sharma, one of the brains behind the show.
This year’s carnival, which emphasised
more on promoting local talents, organised more than 100 events
in Darjeeling alone, with artistes from the Tibetan, Mangar,
Yolmo and Hitkari communities performing from early in the
morning. Performers from Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Rajasthan
had also come for the fest.
“This year, the carnival also provided
a platform for local talents to interact with renowned artists
from Shantiniketan, the Northeast and Calcutta. The effort
of Victoria Memorial to promote local artists was great and
if we take into account that 23 art works were sold in the
last four days, then the art camp was a major success. The
carnival did help generate enthusiasm among art connoisseurs,”
said Vikram Rai, another organiser.
Karma Doma, another organiser, said though
questions have been raised about the organising skills of
youths involved in Darjeeling Carnival, the fact that a motley
mix of social outfits was present is a pointer that everyone
was taking an interest in the event.
“The success of the carnival this
year has given us enough enthusiasm to carry on next year,”
said Ajay Edwards, one of the organisers.
Even as residents talked about the carnival’s
success, the timing of the fest has come in for a lot of criticism
since in most schools the annual examinations starts about
the same time. |
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