Noida Organizes Vasant Utsav 2010

Fast Facts

Festival Date: 26th Feb-28th Feb'2010
Significance: National Flower Show
Venue: Noida Stadium, Delhi NCR

Bid adieu to wintry days and get set to welcome the rejuvenating spring season in India. Vasant Utsav 2010 has already started to fuse the fragrance of flower, early on 26^th February and will soon wind up on 28^th February. The auspicious occasion is being organized by the Floriculture Society of Noida in association with Noida Authority.

Vasant Utsav presents the brilliant amalgamation of socio-cultural aspects with modern-day science. Participants from Corporates Schools, Colleges, Residential Societies, Clubs, Factories, Community Centre parks et al, situated in Delhi and NCR region have engage themselves to showcase their skills.

Scheduled Programmes in Vasant Utsav 2010

Events: Circuit Design (9: 30 AM to 11: 30 AM)

Electronic Puzzle ( 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM)

Date: 26^th February

Events: Robotics (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM)

1 Min Game (2:00 PM to 3:15 PM)

Workshop (3:30 PM to 5:30 PM)

Date: 27^th February

Events: Poster Presentation (9:30 AM to 1:30 PM)

Date: 28^th February

Besides the technical programmes, an array of cultural activities are expected to blow magic in the festival ground. Presentation of song, dance, music and dramas will depict the vibrancy of Indian society. The festival will also unfurl the color of Holi in the form of Rangoli, Painting and Mehendi competitions. Further, Vasant Utsav, this year, may enlist the programme of tree plantation.

Valentine's Day....Celebrate Love and Care

Date: February 14. (forget about the year)
Time: 6 pm.
Venue: An over crowded coffee joint.

A boy and a girl (both in their early 20s) are seen in one of the corner tables. The air was filled with glee, giggles and soft cozy music. Our couple seemed to be having a superb time with each other. The clock stroke 7 and they come out of the cafe to enjoy a walk down the outskirts of the town. After a brief but warm stroll, the guy drops the the girl home. As they part, the girl just smiled and said to the boy- “Thank you”. The guy couldn't make out why all of a sudden she thanked him, but her smile was enough to make his day a pearl to preserve. On the other hand, the girl was pleased about the fact that it was the same day a year ago when the boy quit smoking on her insistence....

The festival of love and intimacy is zooming forward and the celebrations have pushed the accelerator peddle. The immortal story of St. Valentine and how he sacrificed his life for only love's sake is said to be the origin of this wonderful day. Like love knows no bounds, Valentine day also is observed all across the globe. Isn't it sublime to have a day like this in today's world of chaos and calamity?

In India, skeptics always find fault with everything, they relate it to the so-called invasion of the foreign culture. Some even argue over the commercial side of Valentine's Day. Fine, it seems to carry a hidden commercial agenda, but it is propagated by a certain class of people who sees business everywhere. But why to minimize the significance of the day? It is a time to celebrate the feeling of loving and being loved. The truth is, these hypocrites are afraid of anything that unites people, spreads love and care.

Despite this, Valentine's Day has now become a widely recognized and celebrated day with Indian people. This romantic festival is a relatively new concept in India but has caught the fancy of people to a great extent.

Fortunately for the world we live in, love doesn't seem to fed away. Lets see Valentine's Day beyond the college campuses and hip cafes and food joints. Fact is, all of us – beyond age barriers and social strata, need love to get through this tough and unfair life. No matter how strong one claims to be, deeper within he/she also craves for love and care at one point or the other. We need someone to listen to our silence, to allow us to be ourselves and the assurance that this person will always be by our side.

...Being in love doesn't always have to be a mutual feeling, If you find someone who gets stuck in your heart, you can and you should celebrate it. And what better time than Feb 14? Take a dip into your soul and ask the question and when you will find the answer, this Valentine's Day will never be the same...

Surajkund Mela, 2010....Internationally acclaimed event of India

The coveted and immensely popular Surajkund Mela is flagged off on February 1^st, 2010 at Surajkund in Haryana. The opening ceremony saw the gracious presence of the Vice-President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Governor of Haryana, Jagnnath Pahadia, Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and a a bevy of other dignitaries. Besides that, a group of 25 delegates from Sri Lanka visited the fair with a purpose to counterfeit it in Sri Lanka. This edition of the fair sees Tajikistan as the partner country and Rajasthan is decided to be the Theme State.

The origin of the fair goes back to 1981 and since then it has proven to be a significant dais for Indian craftsmen and artistes to showcase their creations to a larger audience and prospective buyers. Surajkund mela gives exposure to various forms of handicrafts from different states of India. Some of them are- Lace and crochet from Goa, Phulkari embroidery of Punjab, Kantha work of West Bengal and North Eastern states, Banjara and Bunni embroidery of Gujarat, Sandalwood and rosewood carving of South India and Chikri woodcraft of Kashmir.

Surajkund fair accommodates special arrangements for Folk dances and folk music on the open theatre providing entertainment of a different type. Gourmets love this event as varieties of delicacies are there to be tasted.

Countries like Thailand, Egypt and SAARC members will participate in the 2010 edition. Keeping in accordance with the theme, the fair accommodates abundance of stuff that are very much Rajasthani in nature and taste. Handloom, handicrafts and cuisines are not all that Surajkund Mela offers, it will also display folk dances such as Kaal Belia (Rajasthan), Siddi Goma (Gujarat) and Brij Ki Holi and Charkula (Uttar Pradesh) and not to forget the Egyptian Tannoura Dance and Thai Traditional dances. School students can take part in different competitions like essay-writing, face painting and Rangoli etc.

Feeling hungry?...Run to the Burger Fest...

Burger, the very mention of this word creates the picture of a ball like food item that has ignited the appetite of the gourmets from a long time. An import from the West, burger soon made way to the homes of Indian customers and has occupied a significant place in their minds when it comes to eating something handy and heavy (nobody cares about the calories issue when a burger is in front of them asking to be eaten up!)

New Delhi is always known for its food varieties, be it the famous street chaat or the indigenous food joints scattered around the city with fame and glory. Well, latest addition to the list of this food happy city is the ongoing Burger Fest in News Cafe Vasant Kunj. This ten day event starting from Feb 01, 2010 and ending on Feb 10, 2010 is set to allure a massive number of foodies.

Here a visitor will not only witness an extended range of burgers, but also gets the fitting accompaniment of myriad shakes, wine, beer and cocktail. Some of the noteworthy items to be displayed are Hand cut Fries, Coleslaw, South West Chilly, and Sensational Salads. If you are already feeling the cramp in your belly, hold on, more coming up- Mushroom Burger with Swiss Cheese, South West Burger with fried jalapenos and chipotle sauce, Curry Lamb Burger with spicy ketchup, California Chicken Burger with zesty salsa, Chilly Gorgonzola Chicken Burger and so on.

Don't you think it is enough to fuel you up to rush to the hub of burgers and feast upon these delicious creations of modern fast food? And we all know, there is always a room for one more burger... :)

19th New Delhi World Book Fair ...a place to be

Of all the million quotes on books and readings that the thought leaders have put forward down the decades, one coming from Franz Kafka is at once simple and significant. The creator of The Metamorphosis observes “A book must be an ice-Axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul”. How correct he was!

Reading habit of the Indians has undergone a tremendous change with the passage of time. Readers are definitely growing in number and profile. Apart from all the reasons behind this development, the role of Book Fairs also can not be ignored.

New Delhi has earned a reputation of being one of the hubs for book lovers with numerous publishing houses and a bulk of readers. Adding to its name and fame, this year also New Delhi is hosting the The 19th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF).

This mega event starting from 30 January and ending on 7 February 2010 is organized by National Book Trust, India (NBT). Held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, this fair happens to be the largest Book Fair in the Afro-Asian region.

This time the theme of the fair is decided as "Reading for Common Wealth" keeping a close association with the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi in October 2010. The theme Pavilion will be decorated with Seven hundred titles published by around 75 publishers on different genres of sports.

A joint effort by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and Federation of Indian Publishers, this fair allures millions of book-lovers from all over the country. The current edition will see participants from the US, China, UAE, Iran, Pakistan and many other countries.

Incidentally, New Delhi is presently blessed with a pleasant climate with warm sun shine and soothing breeze. So folks, you definitely know where you should plan your weekend...