Chandigarh: Chandigarh dedicated the Lohri festival this year to the girl child as the city celebrated the day Monday with great enthusiasm and fanfare.

Families who were blessed with their first girl child in 2008 and families having only daughters were honoured by the municipal corporation officials during the Lohri celebrations at the Terrace Garden in Sector 33. "The status of women in Chandigarh is quite satisfactory. They are at par with men and rubbing shoulders with them in every field. We just wanted to reinforce this feeling of equality and, therefore, we dedicated this festival to the girl child," Kamlesh Banarsi Das, mayor of Chandigarh, told IANS Monday.

"Female foeticide and declining sex ratio are the major concerns for us and we will initiate some mass movements and campaigns against these evils in the coming days," said the mayor, who is widely known as Kamlesh. Against the backdrop of Punjabi dhol beats and songs, Kamlesh lit the bonfire here Monday evening. Hundreds of residents of the city participated in the celebrations.

A cultural programme was organised and sweets were distributed. This year the date of Lohri festival has fallen Jan 12 instead of its usual date of Jan 13. According to the astrologers, this happens after every four-five years. Lohri is an agrarian festival and marks harvesting of the crop.

Source : IANS