24th Mango Mela concludes in Pinjore

The 24th Mango Mela concluded on Sunday with a large number of visitors thronging the Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore near Chandigarh.A spokesman of the Haryana Tourism Department said that the day started with innovative competitions, including mango cut-out competition and mango story writing. Over 45 students took part in these two competitions and spilled their creativity through colours and words.

In tune with its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Haryana Tourism had specially invited senior citizens from registered societies of Panchkula and Pinjore for the event. Senior citizens, Usha Sharma and Devinder Kaur, both in their seventies, displayed immense confidence and stamina in their dance and singing performances respectively. The senior citizens not only oozed the Mela spirit but also entertained visitors with their poems, songs and wisecracks.

 For the first time, yoga sessions were also organised at the Mango Mela by Shobhna Juneja of Yoga Sadka and senior citizens participated in a yoga session designed especially for them.

 If senior citizens unleashed their hidden talent, the kids too put their best foot forward during a Kids Fashion Show organised for age group of 5-8 years. The tiny tots took away many hearts as they cat walked both in ethnic and western outfits on the ramp, said the spokesperson.The group dance competitions for schools had students perform folk dances and popular Bollywood numbers. These high-voltage dance performances added verve to the Mela. On the other hand, tunes of the Day Performers reverberated from the terraces of the Gardens.

 The mango display area packed the whole day with thousands of visitors catching a glimpse of various varieties of mango and purchasing them. Rajneesh Kumar, a mango grower from Uttar Pradesh, had brought 5-kg packing of Dussheri mangoes that were selling like hot cakes.The Crafts Bazaar and Food Court were also a big hit with visitors. The craftspersons from different parts of the country registered a good business for their handlooms and handicrafts.  The people beeline at ice cream, kulfis and street food counters at the Food Court where adequate sitting arrangements had been made.