The Bharat Parv celebrations organized by the Ministry of Tourism concluded in the presence of Shri K J Alphons, Union Tourism Minister, accompanied by Shri Yogindra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Shri. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and other senior government officials. The event showcased a series of cultural events, Defence bands, yoga demonstrations and live kitchen demonstrations. The event at the Red Fort, New Delhi witnessed a large number of visitors. The entry to the event had been kept free & open for public from 26th January till 31st January 2019. 27 states participated this year at the Parv, theme of which was – Celebrating Mahatma.
The Ministry of Tourism for the first time had set up a Digital Showcase booth showcasing various Digital initiatives like Incredible India, Mobile App, Virtual Reality views of Indian destinations and attractions to promote Indian destinations. The Incredible India Digital Showcase booth had been set up by the Ministry in partnership with Google Arts and Culture for its VR walkthroughs and other content.
Another attraction this year is the stall on the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project of the Tourism Ministry, where the Monument Mitras aranged Video walkthroughs. The major attractions this year included the replica of the Statue of Unity created by sculptor Ram Vanji Suttar and also a Gandhi Gram in which 10 painting artists created paintings on the theme ‘Ideology of Mahatma Gandhi’. The daily highlights of events included Display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands (Static as well as dynamic), a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Crafts Mela, Cultural Performances from different regions of the country and an exhibition-cum-sale of crafts items. The Parv also showcased IRCTC’ promotions on special tourist trains, ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ Consumer Awareness campaign and an Exhibition by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).