3 months to go, Modi already in dandiya gear to woo NRIs

The festival, to begin on September 25, will be held in the six municipal corporations of the state and in Mehsana and Porbandar. If successful, the next year will see Gujarat playing host to NRIs and foreigners, treating them to a carnival of music and devotion. E-mails bearing Modi’s name have been sent out telling the world to ‘‘savour the unbridled joy and rich heritage of arts and craft, dance and music, fairs and festivals of Gujarat’’.

According to Industry and Mines Secretary D. Rajgopalan, 27 lakh e-mails have been sent so far and the web page launched for the occasion has already received more than one lakh hits.

It started with a meeting of ambassadors in Delhi late April, where the Gujarat government sold the idea for the first time. Already, it has managed to convince some embassies to take part in the event. Helping the state government are FICCI and CII which will be holding global investor meets in Ahmedabad and Surat to boost investment.

The celebrations will kick off in Ahmedabad. A major programme will be held in Porbandar on October 2 to celebrate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. A light-and-sound show on Gandhi and a convention on khadi will be held that day. Famous fashion designers like Rohit Bal are being approached to design chania cholis.

‘‘Gandhi and Khadi are known internationally, and we will exploit this,’’ a bureaucrat said.

On trips abroad, Gujarat ministers have started distributing brochures to potential visitors and investors.

The event would keep Tourism Department officials on their toes. As many as 27 one-day circuit tours have been finalised. Famous tourist spots like Akshardham, the Modhera Sun Temple, Rani-ki-Vav in Patan, and Pavagadh near Halol are on the list.