Tarnetar fair, the 3-day melting pot of culture, begins Sept 13

The three-day Tarnetar Fair known for a convergence of culture, tradition, music, colourful costumes and dance will kick off on Wednesday. The globally renowned fair not only attracts local visitors but also from across the country and abroad, and the numbers are growing significantly every year.

This year tourists from as far as Taiwan, Italy and France are expected to visit the fair. Gujarat Tourism has made adequate facilities available to meet all tourists’ requirements. Almost 15 AC tents, 15 non-ac tents and 10 AC Kubas have been set up to provide luxurious and homely accommodations. If sources are to be believed, almost 50% of these have already been booked by foreigners.

However, not everybody is happy with the fair, this time. The voluntary food service providing camps (known as Ravati locally), which have been providing their services for the last 64 years, have alleged that the present village panchayat of Tarnetar is not providing them with basic facilities like water and electricity supply among many other things. On the other hand, the Panchayat members have refuted the allegations.

“For last 64 years we have been providing various services like food, resting facilities for the visitors of the Tarnetar fair for 24 hours all three days without charging anything. It is a service for the visitors.

There are 34 big and small size camps (Ravati or Bhandara) functioning under our trust,” said Devjibhai Dhamecha, secretary of Taranetar Ravati Seva Trust.

However, the vice-sarpanch of Tarnetar village, Hamabhai Rabari denied any kind of non-cooperation and said, “We are very much part of their service camps. How can we not provide them basic facilities? Whatever issues there were have been sorted out.”

Volunteer service camps complain of non-cooperation from the Tarnetar village panchayat.