An evening in Pinjore

IT'S a tryst with tradition, one that'll reintroduce you to the beautiful Yadavindra Gardens, which are being rediscovered and restored. It's a commendable effort by the Haryana Tourism, which is all set to to give people of the region a taste and feel of the heritage of the state. So, starting October five, there's a treat in store for art lovers and also people who want to take a cutural break. The Pinjore Heritage Festival, explains Vijai Vardhan, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism Corporation will showcase and project the ancient heritage of Pinjore and the Gardens. Incidentally, restoration work is on at the gardens and the festival, will give a boost to tourism in the state.

A mix of heritage and entertainment, you can look forward to a street bazaar that will remeble one in the Mughal times, a variety of ethnic food from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and of course cutural performances by maestros. ''A lot has gone into making this festival happen, and the effort's almost as much as marrying off ten daughters,'' smiles Vardhan. For the next five days, pronounced Kiran Choudhry, ''it has to be Destination Pinjore. And not just Chandigarh, we're expecting people from all over the region to make it a huge success.''

The festival will open with a performance by Jagjit Singh, followed by Bharatnatyam by Pratibha Prahlad (October 6), recital by Begum Parween Sultana (October 7), Dance ballet by Dakshna Sheth (October 8) and Euphoria Live (October 9). Haryana Tourism hopes to make the festival an annual affair and is all set for another treat, a Sufiana festival at Kurukshetra in November. ''We are forgetting our roots, Bollywood music is all we hear, and personally too, I'm a great fan of Sufi music and it's time to promote our culture, so this step,'' added Kiran. There's a lot to look forward to, Pinjore is the beginning.