Beauties walk the ramp at Manali Winter Carnival

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, JANUARY 5

The cultural extravaganza continued at the Manu Rangshala during the fourth day of the national level Winter Carnival at Manali today. The audience remained glued to their seats and eagerly watched the performances by artistes of different parts of the state and the country.

Various cultural programmes and competitions were held during the day. Folk dance performances by various groups presented a glimpse of their traditional culture. Classical dance presentations by various artistes were lauded by viewers. Dance presentations on new and old film songs by the artistes enthralled the onlookers. Fashion show in traditional dresses by the women won accolades from the spectators. The participants of ‘Voice of Carnival’ also entertained the listeners.

‘Maha natti’ by over 900 women of 79 mahila mandals from the right bank region in traditional dresses at the Mall Road was the centre of attraction among the locals and tourists alike. The festivities have been able to attract a large number of tourists.

Popular tourist destination Manali is witnessing good crowd during the present season which is considered lean. Ramesh from Delhi said that he had prolonged his stay in Manali to watch the ongoing festivities. Monika from Mumbai said that she was amazed to witness the professionalism shown by the participants in the Winter Queen beauty pageant. Hoteliers of the town area said the occupancy had been good these days because of the carnival.

The first round of the Winter Queen beauty pageant was held during the third cultural evening at Manu Rangshala yesterday. The 27 participating beauties mesmerised the audience by performing catwalk on the ramp. The participants were greeted with thunderous applause by the audience.

First, the beauties introduced themselves. This was followed by the catwalk. The Winter Carnival Committee had selected the participants after auditions. The coveted crown of Winter Queen will be given to the winner of the finale to be held during the closing ceremony tomorrow.

Manu Rangshala, the open air auditorium having tin sheets roof, remained jam-packed with the audience.

The cultural evening also witnessed performance of filmi and Himachali songs by Sujata Mazumdar. The audience was so mesmerized that the enthusiasts danced to the melodious voice of Narender Thakur. Besides, performances by various other artists also kept the audience engaged.