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Nagpur: In a significant move to give the city’s historic Marbat-Badgya festival a larger cultural and tourism footprint, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has earmarked around Rs 2 crore for this year’s celebrations. The allocation marks the first time the civic body is making such a substantial financial provision for the 145-year-old traditional festival. The…
Nagpur : In a significant move to give the city’s historic Marbat-Badgya festival a larger cultural and tourism footprint, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has earmarked around Rs 2 crore for this year’s celebrations. The allocation marks the first time the civic body is making such a substantial financial provision for the 145-year-old traditional festival.
The NMC plans to move beyond merely facilitating the annual procession and develop Marbat-Badgya as a professionally organised cultural event capable of attracting visitors from across the country and abroad. The initiative seeks to preserve the festival’s traditional character while presenting Nagpur’s distinctive cultural heritage on a wider platform.
The provision has been made in the NMC budget following a proposal by Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare. A series of cultural, promotional and civic initiatives are being planned under the programme.
Mayor Neeta Thakre reviewed preparations at a special meeting held at the Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Standing Committee Hall on Monday. She directed the civic administration to immediately constitute a special coordination committee comprising representatives of various NMC departments, police officials and representatives of the festival committees.
The proposed committee will oversee preparations as well as coordination during the festival to ensure that the arrangements are completed on time and the procession passes through the city without disruption.
A major priority will be the Marbat-Badgya procession route. The Mayor directed civic officials to ensure that potholes are repaired, hanging electrical wires are removed and other potential obstructions are cleared well before the festival.
The NMC will also make arrangements for electricity, drinking water, temporary stages at prominent locations and welcome gates along the route. Traffic police will coordinate with the civic administration to regulate vehicular movement, manage crowds and ensure the smooth passage of the procession.
Municipal Commissioner Vipin Itankar directed officials to complete all civic works well ahead of the event. He said preparations would be coordinated through the proposed special committee so that different departments work in tandem rather than independently.
The NMC’s plans extend beyond basic infrastructure and crowd management. The civic body intends to invite nationally and internationally renowned personalities to the festival and undertake a promotional campaign aimed at giving Marbat-Badgya greater visibility.
A dedicated logo based on the traditional slogan ‘Eda Pida Gheun Ja Ge Marbat,’ a popular expression invoking the Marbat to take away people’s troubles and afflictions, is also being planned.
The civic body is considering distributing mementos and other memorabilia to visitors as part of the effort to create a distinct identity for the festival. Officials are also working on thematic concepts for Marbat and Badgya and exploring new ways of presenting the event while ensuring that its traditional essence is not compromised.
Dani Wakhare said the objective was to increase public participation and showcase Nagpur’s cultural heritage to a much wider audience. The festival, she said, could become an important cultural attraction while retaining its connection with the city’s people and traditions.
MLA Pravin Datke emphasised that Marbat-Badgya has historically been a festival of ordinary citizens and has served as a unique medium for highlighting social issues and public concerns.
He urged the NMC to ensure that visitors and participants receive adequate civic amenities and called for collective efforts by the administration, police and festival organisers to take the festival to a global platform.
The meeting was attended by Mayor Thakre, Datke, Dani Wakhare, ruling party leader Narendra Borkar, Municipal Commissioner Itankar, corporators, senior civic officials, Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner Mangesh Khavle, Traffic Deputy Commissioner Aditya Mirkhelkar and representatives of the Kali-Pili Marbat and Badgya festival committees.
The Rs 2-crore allocation represents a significant change in the NMC’s approach to Marbat-Badgya. From being primarily a traditional city procession supported through routine civic arrangements, the festival is now being positioned as a potential cultural and tourism showcase for Nagpur, combining heritage preservation with professional organisation and wider promotion.
Source: Nagpur Today
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