Ooty: The summer festival underway here lacks the usual spirit this year with the Tourism department appeared to be making it a mere ritual.
From 2012, government made it a month-long festival in the HADP open-air stadium to enable tourists to enjoy the different cultures through art on the stage. The events also bring income to the artists as well as to local traders, who bank upon this show in the summer to earn more. The programme used to be on everyday with a light music programme that used to be a big draw.
Sadly this year, the summer festival has been reduced to an 11-day affair between May 21 and May 31. The regular light music programmes have not been included this year and the Tourism department is managing with some cultural troupes from the neighboring states, giving nearly the same programme on alternate days. The otherwise lethargic tourism department here is usually only active during summer. Even this activity is now missing, it seems, feel locals.
