INDORE: After two years dulled by Covid, Indore will get back its colours — Rang Panchami may be held this year.
Enthused by the daily drop in Covid cases, the Indore district administration feels optimistic of organizing the famous procession called ‘Gair’ on March 22. The festival is part of the city’s culture and its biggest day of the year.
Collector Manish Singh said the administration has not received any order from the government to put restrictions on festivities. “Covid spread is reducing, double-dose vaccination of all eligible persons has been completed and administration of the third jab is underway, I don’t think there is any talk related to any restriction,” he said, adding that the state government’s instructions, if received in the days to come, will be followed in organizing ‘Gair’.
Indore has been celebrating Rang Panchami by taking out ‘Gair’ to keep the pre-Independence tradition of the erstwhile Holkar rulers alive. Lakhs of revellers gather at Rajwada to colour each other in all hues and dance to popular Bollywood numbers, while trucks spray them with 10,00 kilos of gulaal and coloured water.
In 2020, the Indore district administration had finalized plans to organize ‘Gair’ on a large scale and film a documentary of the procession, which would be sent to Unesco to be included on the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ category list. Indore put it on a par with the famed La Tomatina festival of Spain.
The Covid pandemic struck on the eve of Rang Panchami 2020. On March 13 that year, with Covid cases cropping up across the country, the Indore administration cancelled Gair. Exactly a week later, on March 20, MP’s first Covid case would be detected in Jabalpur, and a day later in Indore.
Last year, too, Rang Panchami celebration was cancelled as signs of the devastating second wave were already apparent.
This year, however, Indore administration is contemplating allowing the procession as the third wave is waning. The organisers have started making preparations to take out ‘Gair’ this year.
Asked if the administration will again approach Unesco to consider adding ‘Gair’ to its ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list, the collector said, “We will see”. “Indore doesn’t need to make any record as the city has already earned a distinguished identity across the world,” he said. TNN
