Summer Festival by the end of June

Department of Information and Public Relations will be conducting 'Summer Festival' in Silver Beach for the first time after tsunami, by the end of this month. As NinA wrote Silver beach awaiting Summer festival .So are the people. This time, as usual the festival will be conducted when the summer is almost over and children has already gone back to school. This time the festival will be for 5 days. Each day will have a special event/competition.

Though the festival provides good entertainment for the locals residents, it should not end in itself. The festival must showcase Cuddalore's beautiful beaches to outside world to attract both domestic and foreign tourists(If Pondicherry can attract 25,000 foreign tourists a year, Cuddalore can attract atleast one fourth of it if a little effort is taken). To achieve this getting the attention of the media is necessary. And media attention can be got by adding some new attractive events/competitions (in addition to the existing) to the schedule.

Making of sand sculptures and organising a competition for the same, will greatly attract media people.It might be difficult for the first fews years to attract a large no. of competitors.But as the event gets popular there will be more competitiors. Students and staff members of 'Barathiyar Kalaikoodam' are well versed in making sand scluptures. To begin with, their expertise can be sought.

Beach volley ball used to be a event once.Over the years the event has disappeared. Necessary arrangements can be made to bring back the event.

'Kite Festival' is another attractive event.(If wind in this part of the year isn't strong enough, a seperate festival for flying kites can be held around the month of August (or when the wind is strong) with the assistance of Department of Tourism.)This will greatly attract the foreign tourists.

Similarly firework display (preferably from offshore) by the late evening hours will attract more crowd and will get the much needed media hype.

This time, I hope, some stalls will be reserved for conveying information about disaster manage -ment, awarness towards disasters and importance of coastal vegetation. Usually stalls use to come up in the beautiful green spread to the east of 'White House' (SP's official residence). But now Government of Rajasthan's makes bricks here for its tsunami rehabilitation project (thus spoiling a part of the green spread). It would not look tidy to have stalls arround this. It is too early to guess the solution the district administration will come up with.

Construction of new bridge is another problem faced this time.The make shift ground level bridge near the old one will be unsafe for such huge crowd that would turn up. Though it is said that the other bridge connecting Cuddalore straight to Devanampattinam is ready this time, its still not clear what other arrangements will be made (apart from wooden bridge for pedestrains).

I will keep updating the developements as it happens.