New Delhi: The week-long celebrations of Phool Waalon Ki Sair began on Sunday after a gap of more than one year, reviving a centuries-old tradition that symbolises communal harmony in the capital.Representatives of Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan — the body that has organised the event for decades — presented a floral pankha to chief minister Rekha Gupta and art and culture minister Kapil Mishra, among others, on Monday.Sadbhavna Yatra, a traditional procession covering parts of Old Delhi, is scheduled for Tuesday. The procession, accompanied by floral pankhas, shehnai and nagada, will begin from Gauri Shankar Temple and pass through Town Hall and other areas of Chandni Chowk.In another key ritual of the festival, a floral chadar and pankha will be offered at the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki and Yogmaya Temple in Mehruali on Thursday.Usha Kumar, general secretary of the Anjuman, said, “We will present the pankha to LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday and invite him to join the ritual of offering floral chadar.”Phool Waalon Ki Sair is usually held in Nov, but could not take place last year after Delhi Development Authority (DDA) did not grant permission to the Anjuman to hold programmes at Aam Bagh, a DDA park located in front of Jahaz Mahal, near Mehrauli’s Shamsi Talab. Similarly, in 2024, authorities did not give its consent to organise the traditional Jhoola Mela at the same venue.TOI had earlier reported that the centuries-old tradition might face discontinuation due to repeated disruptions.According to Kumar, the authorities were hesitant to allow the event last Nov due to concerns over rising air pollution, heavy traffic congestion in the city during the period and its proximity to major festivals like Dussehra and Diwali.Following discussions, permission was eventually granted to hold the event this March instead, Kumar said. DDA also gave its nod to organise the celebrations at the same venue in Mehrauli, with events like traditional dangal, ghazal performances and qawwali scheduled this week. Sahitya Kala Parishad will present cultural programmes at Jahaz Mahal on March 21.“Holding the festival now is an experiment for us. If the celebrations conclude smoothly, we may consider shifting the annual schedule to this time of the year in the future,” she said.The festival dates back to 1812, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II, and has since remained an enduring symbol of Delhi’s shared cultural heritage and syncretic traditions. It continued uninterrupted until 1942, when it was banned by the British. It was revived in 1962 by the Anjuman with the Union govt’s support and has since been celebrated every year at the park in Aam Bagh, Kumar said.
