Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 20: Holi is on March 6, Friday. The young city dwellers, this year, are more eagerly waiting for the day on which they can celebrate the festival of colours, than they did last year. This year, after celebrating the Holi, they can pack their bags and drive down to a nearby location to unwind before they join work Monday. Most of them are busy chalking out plans and identifying destinations. They want to best utilise the Saturday and Sunday that follow the Holi holiday.
With the much-trodden Dhauli, Udaygiri, Khandagiri and the likes are the tourism department prescribed locales such as Jaydev Vatika (in city), Jaydev Kenduali (30 kms from city), Barunei (in Khurda) on the checklist of the weekend tourists.
Sanjeev Mishra, who works in a marketing firm in the city said, “My family has come over to my house. I am excited as we can celebrate Holi together. But what is more exciting is that I have two days off on Saturday and Sunday. I am planning to take them out for a picnic somewhere near the city. I am shortlisting the places. The foothills of Dhauli, Udaygiri, Khandagiri … I’am yet to finalise.”
Not just the upwardly-mobile professionals but the students as well are preparing to hitch onto the week-end tour bandwagon. Sneha Pandey, a student of KIIT said, “This is really great that this year we are getting two holidays after Holi. This time we can really fully enjoy the colourful festival and can plan trips or picnic at some spot nearby. I am planning to visit Chandrabhaga with friends and want to enjoy there amid the sea. I am planning to carry some pre-cooked food that we can enjoy there.”
Pradeep Swain, an MPhil student of Utkal University echoes Sneha. “This year has really given us a special moment. Two days just after Holi will really be exciting. Many of my friends are planning a picnic. In the next few days we will plan where we can go.”
The state Tourism Department however does not want to encourage people to do picnic at the heritage tourist sites. Talking to Orissa Post, S S Rath, tourist officer, Department of Tourism said, “We seldom encourage people to do picnic at tourist and heritage sites. People should organise picnics at places where there are some arrangements for picnics.
“Our department has some designated sites where we can allow people to do picnic as we have deployed some manpower and made some arrangements for it. In close proximity to the city, people can go to Jaydev Vatika, Jaydev Kenduali, Barunei etc. where the department has made some arrangements for garbage disposal. ”
