Beats of Bhagoria return with haats in Barwani & Khargone

Barwani/Khargone: The colourful traditional festival, Bhagoria, has commenced across the tribal areas of Barwani and Khargone districts, filling village markets (haats) with festive fervour. The villagers, who migrated to other states for work, returned home to participate in the week-long celebrations that begin every year ahead of Holi. During the haats, people arrive with their families in special traditional attire, ethnic silver jewellery and colouful turbans reflecting their rich cultural heritage. The rhythmic beats of drums and folk music add to the festive spirit. The fair runs at its peak from 10am to 3pm, when every nook and corner of the haats are jam-packed. However, initial reports suggest that the festivities remained relatively subdued in the areas this time.Officials said around 50 Bhagoria haats will be organised in Barwani district, while more than 75 haats are scheduled across Khargone district for one week. The fairs serve as a major social and cultural gathering, drawing large participation from villagers and returning migrant workers.Khargone district administration intensified food safety checks during the festival. The food safety officials conducted surprise inspections at Gogawan and Mohana in Khargone district on Tuesday.A total of 11 food establishments were inspected and samples of items including jalebi, sev, jaggery, dates, curd, dal, soybean oil and other food products were collected for laboratory testing.Chief food safety officer HL Awasya said the samples were sent to state food testing laboratory in Bhopal. Strict action will be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, if any items are found substandard.