Rampur/Shimla: Historic Rampur Lavi fair begins with fanfare and gaiety today. Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated the four-day long International fair.
The Governor, while addressing the gathering, said that Himachal Pradesh was known for its rich culture, customs and traditions and it was evident from the fact that the people of the State celebrate the religious and traditional festivities with great enthusiasm and fervor.
The Governor said that the fairs and festivals play an important role in preserving the rich cultural heritage of the State and every effort should be made to preserve the cultural heritage and to restore the old glory of traditional fairs and festivals.
He said that Lavi fair has its own historical importance and is famous not only for trading activities but also old long traditions.
Acharya Devvrat said that the beauty of ‘Devbhoomi ‘ could be enhanced by keeping the surroundings clean and underlined the need for aggressive cleanliness campaigns. He said that global warming was posing a serious challenge and effective steps should be taken to protect the precious environment which sustained human life.
He said that women should be accorded proper respect and given equal opportunities of growth and no discrimination should be made on gender basis. He said that declining sex ratio was a cause of concern and called upon all the sections of society to come forward to eradicate the social evil of female foeticide.
The Governor also expressed concern about the problem of drug abuse and advised youth to engage themselves in acquiring knowledge, social work and mainstream activities.
Acharya Devvrat lauded the efforts of the organizers for making sincere efforts to carry forward the rich traditions of the fair and added that woollens, dry fruits and other traditional crafts and products exhibited in the market were unique and the fair provided a good opportunity for their promotion and sale besides benefiting the traditional craftsmen and farmers.
Governor also inaugurated the ‘Kinnauri market’ and exhibition put up by various Government departments and other organizations on the occasion and evinced keen interest in the exhibits.
