Team Mangalorean - City Beat
Pics by Shafiq

Click here for Photo Album

Mangalore: A three-day exhibition of fruits and flowers and a food festival opened in the Kadri park on Friday, March 30 evening.

It was inaugurated by DK zilla panchayat president K T Shailaja Bhat. Later speaking at a formal meeting held on the occasion, she suggested that all citizens grow a green environment in and around their homes.

Coastal Development Authority chairman B Nagaraj Shetty, as chief guest, said that because of paucity of labour force in the district, the agricultural activity in both DK and Udupi district had been stunted. A large extent of agricultural land had been lying fallow.

The rice required for daily consumption was being brought from the neighbouring district. To meet this situation, he suggested, scientific farming be adopted in the two districts.

ZP CEO Dr K N Vijayaprakash, Siri Horticultural Association vice president Lakshmi Rao Aroor, joint secretary K Nemiraj Konde and others were on the dais. District deputy director of horticulture Dr S Nanda welcomed the gathering.

The department of horticulture, DK district administration, DK zilla panchayat and a few organizations have organized the show to mark the Horticulture Year 2012.

No 'cutting edge'!

The neatly arranged function, with lovely flowers and fruits around, had a slightly jarring start. A flower arrangement based on 'Festivals of India' was to be inaugurated by CDA chairman Nagaraj Shetty. As he got ready to inaugurate it, the organizers could not oblige him immediately, because they could not find a pair of scissors for him to cut the inaugural ribbon.

There were many gardening blades and secateurs around. But, ironically enough, there was no pair of scissors available. A full ten minutes went on in searching for a pair. Finally they could find one and the inauguration took place after 15 minutes of waiting.

Even the ribbon which was arranged for the inaugural formality fell short. Comments could be heard among the gathering about the organizers being miserly in not getting a ribbon long enough.

A ribbon tied at one end and another end being held in hand by an official, at a function of this magnitude, reflected on the arrangements made at a government-sponsored event.

With the ribbon being cut, the people got 'cut' up with the official attitude.

Click here for Photo Album