People of Chandigarh have been celebrating unique fair and festivals every year and soon, a ‘State Symbols Day’ would be added to the list of festivities in the Union Territory.

If all goes well, the UT Administration would declare a ‘State Symbols Day’ that will be celebrated every year in the City Beautiful. Chandigarh has an official State bird namely Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros birostros), State animal named Indian Grey Mangoose (Herpestes edwardsi), State tree named Mango tree (Mangifera indica) and State flower named Dhak Flower (Butea frondosa).

The four State symbols were chosen keeping in view their huge numbers across the city. However, the State symbols are yet to get a special place in the minds of city denizens and went unnoticed so far.

The State symbols were announced by the UT Forest and Wildlife Department during 2010 Wildlife Week celebrations in the city. While the state symbols were contrived in the year 2009, they were officially announced by Administration in 2010. More than three years to the formal announcement of the State symbols, the city denizens barely know about it.

Though the UT Forest and Wildlife Department had launched a postal stamp and posters to create awareness about the State symbols, the awareness campaign remained unsuccessful. Nearly 5,000 envelopes of the State’s bird were distributed among school students and residents across the city in 2010.

Nevertheless, tasting failure in their previous attempts, the UT Forest and Wildlife Department is now mulling to declare a ‘State Symbols Day’ in Chandigarh.

While talking to The Pioneer, Santosh Kumar, UT conservator of forests-cum-chief wildlife warden said, “The department is planning to celebrate ‘State Symbols Day’ in Chandigarh every year. The day has not been decided yet but likely to be celebrated during the Wildlife Week which is celebrated in the month of October every year.”

He said, “As a large number of city residents are not aware about the four State symbols of Chandigarh, such initiative would apprise them about the State symbols.”

“The UT Department had in 2010 started an awareness campaign in Chandigarh to spread awareness about the State symbols. So far, Government and private schools, UT Government offices were focussed during the awareness campaigns.” The pictures of the State symbols are already displayed at Government offices in Chandigarh.