Visitors throng Raja Seat for flower fest on weekend

Hundreds of visitors thronged the Raja Seat in Madikeri on Saturday and Sunday, for the fruit and flower show.

The four-day-long fruit and flower show organised by the district administration and the department of horticulture, began on Friday.

On Sunday, the localities and tourists who gathered in the venue, danced to the tunes of traditional ‘Kodava Valaga’ during the cultural programmes organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy. ‘Arebhashe Kolata’ and ‘Sobhane Pada’ enthralled the audience.

Selfie zones set up at various parts of Raja Seat, were the centre of attraction among youth during the flower fest. Photo frames were designed with flowers for the purpose.

Open street

The police department restricted the movement of vehicles from M M Circle till Kundurumotte junction, from 6 pm to 10 pm on the evenings of the fruit and flower show. Raja Seat was made completely free from vehicular movements and the stalls featuring various snacks were opened on the road, reminding the ‘Open Street Festival’ organised during the Pravasi Utsav held in Kodagu last year. Traditional Kodava snacks were also sold in the stalls.

Students were provided with a chance to watch the fruit and flower show free of cost. A lot of students witnessed the show on Saturday and Sunday. Most of them were accompanied by their teachers.

The people also visited the stalls set by the departments of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and various other departments.

‘Mamateya Marukatte’

Various items such as children’s toys, unused clothes, stationery items, and electronic items in the working condition, were featured at ‘Mamateya Marukatte’ stall set up by Green City Forum and Madikeri City Municipal Council. The items were collected at
Kaveri Kalakshetra.

The amount collected from the sale of these items were provided to the civic workers and stree shakti groups. Most of the items have been sold, said Satya, a member of Green City Forum.