Doonites had a whale of a time at one of the most awaited annual events of Uttarakhand – The Spring Festival 2022. The two-day-long flower exhibition was inaugurated on the 8th of March at Raj Bhawan by the Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General (retd) Gurmit Singh.
The Spring Festival commenced with Phool Dei, the folk celebration of Uttarakhand. On the occasion, a unique cover featuring Yamuna Tulsi, which is found in several mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and offered to Goddess Yamuna at Yamunotri Dham, was unveiled.
As per the direction of the Governor, several food courts were also set up during this year’s spring festival with the help of IHM, GMVN, and women self-help groups of Uttarakhand, with preference to the local cuisine of the state.
On day 1 of the event, nearly 2,000 individuals partook in 12 major contests having 51 subcategories. Out of the total participants, 786 took part in the traditional Cut Flower category and 201 participated in the non-traditional Cut Flower category, 677 took part in the Painting contest, 58 partook in the Loose Flower category, 53 participated in the non-floral Potted Plant category, 52 took part in the Hanging Pot category, 40 participated in the On-The-Spot Photography contest, 29 partook in the Fresh Petal Rangoli Making contest and 18 participated in the Potted Plant categories. The winners of the aforementioned competitions were announced on the second day of the festival.
During the flower exhibition, 242 stalls were also put up comprising 218 personal stalls and 24 stalls associated with state departments. Many farmers from several districts also took part in the Spring Festival.
The annual Spring Festival at Raj Bhawan has been a source of motivation to many for taking up plantations of various kinds, and to pursue farming. The flower exhibition also allows visitors to connect with nature and imbibe a sense of environmental conservation.
