ITAHARI: Fairs and festivals are being organized across the country in the name of promoting tourism, local products, as well as food, culture, and traditions of different indigenous groups. However, neither local culture nor food is promoted in these events. Furthermore, organizers of such events do not disclose income and expenditure details even though many of these events receive financial support from local, provincial, and federal governments.
Programs such as fairs, festivals, and cultural events should be beneficial to the targeted people in society. However, this is not happening. Experts say that festivals organized annually by the same organization, with the same person as the chief guest and limited audience participation, merely serve as a means to spend government budgets. The latest example of this is the 2nd Food and Tourism Festival currently underway in Itahari. Itahari Sub-metropolitan City is the patron of this event organized by the Sunsari Hotel and Tourism Entrepreneurs Association, with support from the Ministry of Tourism, Forest, and Environment of the Koshi Province Government. Although the event’s main objective is to promote indigenous food, the major attraction has been musical performances by different artists.
“We have showcased different cuisines of Tharu and other indigenous groups at the festival,” Tej Bahadur Puri, chairman of the organizing committee, insisted. “We initially involved local artists for the event. But since they didn’t draw the expected crowd, we were compelled to invite national-level artists. This is what today’s generation likes.”
The association had organized the festival last year as well. But it has not made income and expenditure details from last year public.
The Agriculture, Culture, Tourism, and Industrial Exhibition is also underway in Ramdhuni of Ramdhuni Municipality. The event is organized by the Jhumka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and supported by Ramdhuni Municipality. “Although the main objective of the event is to promote tourism as well as local culture as well as industrial and agricultural products, the organizers are only focusing on the performances of artists. There is nothing more than singing and dancing,” a local of Ramdhuni-1 told Himal Press.
Dr. Ramji Timsina, a social analyst, said these festivals are becoming a means for people in the government to provide financial assistance to their party cadres and those close to them. “These events have become a source of income generation for people close to the power center,” he added. “The organizers also do not disclose income and expenditure details.”
Timsina said the government is pouring money into these events without studying their effectiveness. “Likewise, no study has been conducted on whether these events are beneficial to society,” he added.
A month ago, the Tharu Welfare Assembly organized the 4th Barju Maghi Festival. The organizers brought a group of artists from India to the festival, which was organized to promote the culture and traditions of the Tharu people.
Letang Festival, Birtamod Food Festival, Belbari Mini Festival, Itahari Cultural Tourism Festival, Inaruwa Festival, Budhiganga Festival are some of the events organized in Koshi Province in recent years. None of them have been effective in promoting the well-being of local people.
Even large-scale events like the Morang Trade Expo have been brewing controversies. The organizers of the expo allegedly did not pay applicable taxes to the concerned local unit. Likewise, organizers have not made their income and expenditure details public.
