Shopping festival starts in Kolkata

September 27th, 2009 KOLKATA - Mahanavami festival is being marked across the country on Sunday, the 3rd day of the Durga Puja festival. In West Bengal, a large number of people from different walks of life are thronging the specially set up Durga Puja pandals.

September 26th, 2009 KOLKATA - Devotees celebrated on Saturday the Maha Ashtami festival of Goddess Durga, to mark the eighth and the most auspicious of the nine-day Navaratri festival. The day is considered significant as life is "breathed" into the idol of Durga by priests who perform elaborate rituals amidst chanting of religious verses.

September 26th, 2009 KOLKATA - Dilip Ghorui, 45, of Mahishadal in East Midnapore district, barely earns enough as a rickshaw puller to make ends meet throughout the year -- except during Durga Puja. That is when he takes on a different job, of a dhaki or traditional drummer.

September 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Devotees celebrated 'Mahasaptami', the second day of Durga Puja here on Friday. The day is significant as on this day, Goddess Durga attacked the 'Mahisasura' (demon) with her holy power.

September 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - As thousands of people thronged beautifully decorated pandals (marquees) across West Bengal Friday during the Durga Puja festival, the weatherman warned that rain may play spoilsport Saturday. "There is a possibility of sporadic rain and thundershowers in Gangetic West Bengal as well as in northern districts in the next 24 hours.

September 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - Durga Puja began here on Wednesday with idols of the Goddess Durga being displayed around the city in pandals for the public to worship. Aesthetically designed and decorated pandals have turned Kolkata into a city of temples.

September 24th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The India Pavilion, to be set up at the Global Village in the forthcoming edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will have an exclusive section showcasing Kerala's products. Addressing reporters Thursday, Brij Bhalla and Nissar Syed, the promoters of the Kerala section, said that the Global Village would open Nov 22.

September 23rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Security arrangements have been beefed up across Kolkata for the four-day long Durga puja festival beginning here Sep 25. Keeping in mind the huge crowds that congregate at various places across the city during the festive season, the Kolkata police are setting up watch towers on rooftops and balconies near major puja pandals (marquees) to keep a close eye on the pandal hoppers.

September 21st, 2009 KOLKATA - A Kolkata NGO is all set to offer prayers this Durga puja in a different way. The festivities will be organised by physically challenged, destitute and marginalised children of society with the help of OFFER (Organisation For Friends Energies and Resources).

July 4th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Lovers of the king of fruits thronged a Haryana town as the 18th edition of the mango festival started Saturday. Around 2,835 entries of mangoes from all across northern India were displayed in the Mango Mela but the highlight of the event is the display of 285 rare varieties of the fruit.

June 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - Fans of the Hilsa fish, which is a major delicacy in West Bengal, throng the ongoing Hilsa fish festival in Kolkata to gorge on their favourite dishes. rices of rupees 400-550 per kilogram notwithstanding, the month-long Hilsa festival is attracting huge crowds.

May 28th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Haryana's tourism department will organise a shopping festival at Gurgaon in December, the state's tourism minister Kiran Choudhry said here Thursday. The state has planned the event keeping in mind the increased number of foreign tourists expected to visit India for the Delhi Commonwealth Games next year.

May 17th, 2009 BHOPAL - Hundreds of people visited a three-day puppet festival here in which entertaining skits were performed by various artistes. Organised at the popular Rabindar Bhavan between May 12 to 14, the festival was a hit among the young and old alike.

March 1st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Theatre buffs in Kerala would be treated to more than a dozen award-winning plays at the fifth National Drama Festival that starts here Monday. The festival will be inaugurated by Chief Minister V.S.

January 15th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Travel agents in Kerala have begun announcing packages to attract travellers to participate in the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival that began Thursday. The festival is considered the biggest shopping and entertainment event in the Middle East.