Udaipur Diwali Fair to Feature Palak Muchhal, Shailesh Lodha; Rs 82 Lakh Spent on Artists

Udaipur, October 25 (Udaipur Kiran) : The Udaipur Municipal Corporation’s annual Diwali fair will commence on 28 October. Ahead of the festival, the corporation opened tenders for shops, amusement rides, and cultural programmes on Saturday, finalising the artists who will perform during the five-day cultural segment of the fair.

This year, audiences in Udaipur will be treated to performances by singer Palak Muchhal, poet Shailesh Lodha, the Raperiya Baalm Band, the Retila Rajasthan folk band, as well as devotional singers Anamika Ambar and Chhotu Singh Ravana. The corporation will be spending Rs 82 lakh on these cultural programmes, an increase from last year’s Rs 80 lakh allocation.

However, the tenders for shops brought the corporation a modest gain of just Rs 11,000 over the base price. For amusement rides, the tenders fetched Rs 8.39 lakh less than the base amount.

In the tendering process for shops, three agencies participated. The contract was awarded to the agency that submitted the highest bid of Rs 1 crore 11 lakh 11 thousand, against a minimum set bid of Rs 1.11 crore. This resulted in a marginal benefit of Rs 11,000 for the corporation.

Similarly, three agencies participated in the tenders for amusement rides and entertainment equipment. The starting amount was Rs 93.50 lakh, but due to the absence of higher bids, the corporation finalised the tender at Rs 85 lakh 11 thousand.

For the cultural programmes, the corporation had initially set a budget of Rs 80 lakh. One agency bid Rs 83.74 lakh and another offered Rs 90 lakh. The corporation then negotiated with the agency that bid Rs 83.74 lakh, ultimately fixing the cost at Rs 82 lakh before awarding the contract. This means Rs 2 lakh more than the original budget will be spent on the artists’ programmes.

The fair’s cultural schedule is as follows:

• 28 October: Bhajan evening featuring Anamika Ambar and Chhotu Singh Ravana
• 29 October: Folk band night with Raperiya Baalm Band and Retila Rajasthan
• 30 October: Bollywood singer night with Palak Muchhal
• 31 October: Kavi Sammelan (poetry evening) with Shailesh Lodha and other poets
• 1 November: Stand-up comedy night with Gaurav Gupta (approval pending)
• 2 and 3 November: Local artists will have the opportunity to perform