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Agra : The tourism industry in this city of the Taj Mahal feels the annual cultural festival Taj Mahotsava has now degenerated into a farce pandering to the basest instincts of the local audience, instead of the tourist-atracting spring fest it was meant to be.
The 10-day festival that will start on February 18 at Shilpgram, just 500 metres from the Taj Mahal, was originally meant to draw in foreign tourists by showcasing the Mughal and Braj culture of the area. But in the last few years it has degenerated into a "tamasha" (farce) for the locals who are fed on a "spurious remix of filmy entertainment by second-rate performers from Bollywood", says a tour operator based here who did not want to be named.
The local tourism industry has virtually withdrawn from the festival. The Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Tourism Guild, the National Chamber of Industries and Commerce and related agencies now have no role to play in the organisation of the festival or in setting its agenda, which is supposed to be the theme of love this year.
The Agra Development Authority (ADA) and the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department call the shots. "It has been suggested so many times that the dates should be changed. Holding the Taj Mahotsava immediately after the Suraj Kund mela (in Haryana) makes no sense, as most tourists have already had a glimpse of the fair and festivities, including the handicrafts on display. The same set of people, artisans, craftsmen, and stall owners from all over India descend with leftovers on the Taj city, offering nothing new." says Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society president Surendra Sharma.
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