Tourists to catch a glimpse of 'Incredible India' in heart of city

A bamboo arch gate marks the entrance to the premises that is sprinkled with eye-catching bamboo products and huge terracotta conch shell and traditional brassware. HT reports.

A bamboo arch gate marks the entrance to the premises that is sprinkled with eye-catching bamboo products and huge terracotta conch shell and traditional brassware.

HT Image

Welcome to the 'Incredible India Festival' that was held at the pedestrian area in front of the State Emporia on the Baba Kharak Singh Marg.

The festival was inaugurated on Friday.

The festival is a one-stop shop for entertainment, food and traditional crafts.

While chenda melam artists (group of traditional drummers) from Kerala welcomed the visitors at the entrance, another group of drummers-cum-dancers enthralled the audience a few metres away. Typical Indian food stalls added to the flavour.

A 60-something couple Manju and J.K. Jain merrily clicked away the pictures of larger-than-life rope statues showing a Mughal King's entourage complete with soldiers on camel.

"We have taken lots of pictures here. We are going to send them to our son in the US," they said.

And not just Indians, a number of foreigners were also seen enjoying the cultural and musical performances and shopping from the stalls selling handicrafts from various states.

Ved Pohoja — from Ved Pohoja Associates, the firm to which the event has been outsourced by the Tourism Department — said, "The venue has crafts from across India and also some craft persons displaying their art. All the

architecture you see here is made of bamboo from Northeastern states."

The cultural troupes have been brought in from all zonal cultural centres across the country. "It is just the start of the festival. We are expecting huge footfalls," Pohoja said.

Tourism Minister Kumari Selja and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit went around the bazaar street to mark the formal inauguration of the event that would continue till the Commonwealth Games are over.

"Thanks to the Commonwealth Games, the place has become a happening spot, not just for people from NCR, but also for the visitors coming during the Games."

The event would start daily from 12 noon and continue till 10 p.m. daily.