Next year, let a thousand flowers bloom, with more fun, festivites

quot;Things should be different and more exciting as there is not much halchal at the Festival,quot; said Neetu Mahajan, a GCG student, who felt it had become a rather dreary affair due to its recurrence. Though she could not list many suggestions to make the Festival more interesting, she felt the same old flower displays, and walking about the stalls had made it monotonous.

Pankaj Gulati, a student, felt there was less crowd this time and the spirit of a festival was missing. quot;Light games and entertainment stalls inside the Rose Garden could enliven the environment,quot; he suggested. He also called for holding of a modelling or fashion show during the Festival, besides arrangement of light music to add more colour.

Children, in particular, were disappointed over the fact that the Festival had nothing much to offer.

Voicing this sentiment, a dejected Puneet Raheja, a Class VI student, sat at a corner of the Rose Garden, watching an acrobatic tamasha. He felt the Festival had almost nothing to offer to kids. quot;There is nothing the Festival offers us to enjoy here.quot; And, with a sparkle in his eyes, he suggests: quot;Can8217;t an amusement park like the Jurassic Park be set up inside the garden?quot; The old and retired, for whom the Rose Garden is a haven, were also not very elated with what the organisers had to offer. Avtar Singh, a retired professor, said that though the garden looks much cleaner this time with better flowers, it can hardly be called a Festival of Gardens as there is hardly quot;any other gardenquot; to visit. Feeling that the festival was lacking its true complexion, he sought holding of more cultural and folk performances.

His wife rued over the fact that all her expectations of buying a host of plants and flowers were shattered as there was no promising variety on display. She added that though the idea of putting up stalls outside the garden was welcome, it would be better if some stalls of essential commodities could also be allowed inside and other could be spread out evenly to provide more moving space.

Seema Bhalla, a fashion designer, also talked in the same vein. quot;Though the Festival offers a lot, the festive spirit is missing,quot; she said, adding that it was welcome to see many middle-class people thronging the Festival.

To make the Festival more interesting and appealing, she suggested holding of some music and cultural functions. quot;We can have training on how to do up a garden at home,quot; she added. About stalls, she felt they should be inside the garden as they do not seem to be part of the Festival now. She also called for checking overcharging in snacks. For Arts college student Savita Sharma, the expectations of plenty of festivities with games and shows was missing. She felt there was not much of festive spirit and no excitement either, which she said could be provided by holding cultural and other shows besides games.

Businessman Rajan Oberoi, accompanied by his family, said the Festival could become much more exciting with the addition of games like tombola, sports and cultural activities. He felt that some stalls should also be located inside at some corner, as the garbage and dirt so created could be cleaned up later. He also called for better management of the stalls area, which added to chaos. A retired bank employee, B.D. Rikhi, felt that since the Festival offered nothing except roses, the charm was lacking. While calling for more flowers on specially-created displays all over the garden other than display of naturally grown flowers, he felt some more culture, games and rides could add more spirit to the Festival.