‘Abhinandan with IAF jet' steals show at Yercaud festival

Floral replicas of Chennai Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Ramachandran Central Railway Station (front view) and a MIG 21 fighter aircraft with the portrait of Abhinandan turned out to be the cynosure of all eyes.

Also a globe made of flowers highlighting the significance of growing trees and protecting nature sent home a strong message on the conservation front. Officials said that more than 2.5 lakh flowers mainly rose, carnation, gerbera and others were used in making these floral structures.

Children were spellbound with the floral structures of a penguin family, Thanos in Infinity Stones in Avengers, and a model of ICC cricket world cup 2019. Also there were welcome arches made of fruits including mango, jack fruit, banana, lemon and papaya.

More than 50,000 pot flowers were on display at the Anna Park. The Horticulture Department had put up stalls showcasing fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs, hill crops grown locally and across Tamil Nadu. In addition, the fruits and vegetables took the shape of different birds and animals, which turned out to be a major highlight of the show.

There were also more than 50 stalls to exhibit the achievements of various departments of the state government as part of the festival.

As part of the three-day festival, the Animal Husbandry department is conducting a dog show and Integrated Child Development Department is holding a healthy baby contest. The Department of Tourism is organizing a boat race for tourists; while there will also be cultural programmes on all three days. Special buses were operated from Yercaud to different tourist locations in the hill station.

Director of Horticulture NSubbaiyan inaugurated the kodai vizha in the presence of SalemDistrict Collector RohiniBhajibhakare and other officials.