Have you ever had old wine in a new bottle? It still tastes as good – perhaps even better. We wish to make this background for Paryatan Parv or Tourism Fair organised by the Department of Tourism, New Delhi. The festival which has been going on since about three weeks is ending with a grand finale on Rajpath on 23rd, 24th and 25th October, 2017.

The event is like a huge exhibition of all things Indian. A host of marquees have been set up at Rajpath lawns. This area holds a craft fair, a food court, selfie zones, arty installations, a few small podiums for random events and a huge stage for performers of traditional art forms display their art. The performances are grand and colourful and given the melange of folk like Bhangra and Siddhi Dhamal and classical forms like Kathak and Manipuri , there is no dull moment and the audience goes on cheering. Moreover, every event functions with clockwork precision and there is no break between performance by two groups. At any point in time, no less than 50 dancers are on stage in perfect harmony and there is no lapse anywhere. The shows are as wholesome as they could get.

The food court is huge, like a Food Festival with 50 +stalls with Delhi stalls outnumbering others. Along with state cuisines and street food, various hospitality institutes have setup individual stalls and are serving some photogenic stuff. Fruit bhalla papri is a new dish for us, and we are quite impressed on trying that. Further, the daulat ki chat  stall announces that winter is here.

We are also very impressed with the huge craft display at the event. The handloom  and handicraft products here are beyond the what is available at the stalls of Delhi Haat. Good to see that organisers have made a genuine effort to get artisans and craft societies from various parts of India to display their unique products. There is also a big installation called the craft globe and many have tied notes putting down their love for Indian handicrafts.

Various state tourism departments have set up stalls. Remarkable among these are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Many North-Eastern states such as Assam and Meghalaya have fascinating displays that allure and how.

The Paryatan Parv is a celebration of India’s rich culture and tradition in food, crafts and folk arts. Quite like Bharat Parv in the years 2015 , 2016 and 2017. Bharat Parv and Paryatan Parv seem to have similar goals – to make us aware of our Incredible India or Atulya Bharat. So while, Paryatan Parv is like old wine in a new bottles, it is still as enticing and a great Fun-Do.