Saurashtrians in celebratory mood

rajkot: "the dush kal (bad phase) is over. it's time to celebrate," says rajkot collector p n patel, echoing the sentiment of the lakhs of visitors to the ongoing janmashtami mela in the heart of the city. a good monsoon after five long years has given saurashtrians enough reason to rejoice. "the farmer is a happy man. the groundnut crop is growing well thanks to the rain.all 1,800 check dams are full to the brim," patel says, explaining the unusually high turnout at the fair, second only to junagadh's mahasivratri mela. no wonder then that the biggest city in the region is all decked up, predominantly in saffron, and practically on a five-day holiday playing host to three fairs. all roads, whether you take the good old 'chakda' or the classy toyota qualis, lead to shastri maidan where the biggest fair, organised by the government's lokmela samiti, is being held till august 15. to enjoy this mela you need lots of patience to tackle the traffic jams and an old but sturdy pair of shoes to wade through the slush (remember the good monsoon). an umbrella isn't a practical proposition even if you're caught in a downpour because there's no way you can walk with it open in the crowd. "we have had two lakh visitors till this (sunday) evening," says constable ashok ghelani as he goes about making announcements for those lost at the fair. "we have been keeping a tab on the number of visitors. there have been no complaints of pickpocketing or eve-teasing yet," the control room informs even as policemen keep a watch from the machans at vantage points. with nearly 500 stalls, most of them eateries, and at least 20 types of swings it's a daunting task for the municipal corporation to keep the place clean. "you can hear us making repeated appeals to the public not to litter the place, but they seem to be falling on deaf ears," says an exasperated rmc official, adding "it's a tough task for our garbage van to move in the area swarming with people". "people in rajkot must be eating three times the ice cream their counterparts in ahmedabad do," jokes the collector. he has a point if you notice the 30 big ice cream stalls and the amount of wrappers strewn around them. the administration and the police are not the only ones on their toes. the saffron brigade has been working overtime, too. besides decorating the town with saffron banners and flags they have ensured every form of public transport headed for the fair carries the vishwa hindu parishad flag. if only our leaders could ensure the distribution of the national flag with such zeal! what's more the bajrang dal has a stall specially meant to recruit youngsters. "we have recruited nearly 300 boys since the fair began on friday," claims volunteer mahindra nagwadia. "to become a member you have to pay rs 55 and fill a form. once you become a member, the bajrang dal looks after you like a member of the family. if you have a problem finding a job, we'll help you out," he says, brandishing a trident-shaped dagger which every recruit is given 'for self-protection'. a little distance away a huge inflated mickey mouse dances to whigfield's 'saturday night' number attracting children and adults alike, while the 'dayro' (folk song) artistes prepare for the night as celebrations reach a crescendo.