Nagpur: The annual Koradi Cultural and Tourism Mahotsav, fondly called Koradi Festival, will be organised from September 24 to 27 at Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Mandir premises in Koradi to mark Navratri festivity. The 4-day event is being organised jointly by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, District Administration and Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Devsthan, informed the State Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule at a press conference on Saturday.
The four-day festival is attended by thousands of devotees, political bigwigs and celebrities.
The tendering process for organisation of the event has been completed and M/s Working Element has been awarded the contract to make arrangements of attractive stage, lighting, sound and other facilities. A 40,000 sq ft dom has been constructed to protect the event from rains and other natural calamities.
Maha Aartis and other programmes organised during the Festival will be attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and other dignitaries. The Koradi Festival will be inaugurated by Jaikumar Rawal, Maharashtra Minister for Tourism and Employment Guarantee Scheme. Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule will preside over the function. Minister of State for Tourism Madan Yerawar, Divisional Commissioner Anup Kumar, District Collector Sachin Kurve, Ramtek MP Krupal Tumane, Rajya Sabha Members Ajay Sancheti, Dr Vikas Mahatme, MLAs Ashish Deshmukh, Sunil Kedar, Sameer Meghe, Sudhir Parve, Sudhakar Kohale, Krishna Khopde, Vikas Kumbhare, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Dr Milind Mane, Mallikarjun Reddy, Mayor Nanda Jichkar, Adv Sulekha Kumbhare and other personalities will also grace the function.
Following are event details: The Koradi Festival will be inaugurated at 6 pm on September 24. Maha Aarti will be performed at 7 pm. Later, Jeet Ganguly will present a song programme. On September 25, Maha Aarti will be at 7 pm. It will be followed by “Bhavsandhy” byNiranjan Bobde and dance programme by Sudha Chandran. On September 26, Maha Aarti at 7 pm and singing programme by Manoj Tiwari. On September 27, renowned singer Anuradha Paudwal will render lilting songs immediately after Maha Aarti at 7 pm.
Bawankule further said that such tourism festivals are necessary as for a boost to tourism in the region as well as employment generation. “Tourism sector till now comprised of religious tourism, adventure sports, agriculture tourism etc. But from 2016 onwards, Mining Tourism has been introduced as a thrilling option by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. Nagpur is surrounded by coal mines such as Underground Mine No. 1 in Saoner and Opencast Mine at Gondegaon near Saoner. A day-long trip is organised from Nagpur to explore the working and other aspects of the mines,” Bawankule said and added that a safari to Eco Park, developed by WCL, is also organised.
The Mining Tourism tour will be organised from October 2017 to May 2018 on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservation for this trip can be done on MTDC’s website www.maharashtratourism.gov.in or at regional offices at West High Court Road, near Gramin Tahsil Office, Civil Lines.
World Tourism Day on September 27:
September 27 is celebrated as World Tourism Day. The theme of this year’s celebration given by United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is “Sustainable Tourism – A Tool for Development.” On this day, tourists will be welcomed at Nagpur Airport, Railway Station, and at Information Centre with bouquets.
