Mumbai Flower Festival: Jackie Shroff, others visit Byculla, praise initiative

The Mumbai Flower Festival being held at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo in Byculla East witnessed several visitors including Jackie Shroff other celebrities who praised the initiative an official statement said on SundayThe event organised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and its Tree Authority has received a lot of attention on its third day with several prominent personalities visiting to show their appreciationThe official statement said that Bollywood actors Jackie Shroff Arun Kadam Neha Joshi and Shweta Bachchan visited the exhibition and praised the beautiful collection of flowers and plants on display Their presence added to the glamour of the event and highlighted the importance of preserving nature and promoting horticultural knowledgeAlso present at the event was Jitendra Pardeshi the Garden Superintendent of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation who spoke about the significance of the exhibition in promoting environmental awareness and the beauty of Mumbairsquos gardensThe festival features a wide variety of flowers plants and horticultural exhibits attracting visitors from all walks of lifeBMC Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani inaugurated the threeday Mumbai Flower Festival on FridayThe theme of this years festival is Highlighting the national symbols of India to Mumbaikars through flowersA wide variety of plants flowers herbs and spices are on display this year Gagrani has appealed to Mumbaikars to visit the festival and witness the floral diversity at the eventSpeaking at the inauguration ceremony Bhushan Gagrani said One feels elated after seeing the flowers The exhibition will also help tourists with the information they need on conserving and caring about the natural wealth around themAfter the inauguration the municipal commissioner along with all the senior officials and Mumbaikars inspected the exhibition The civic commissioner praised the layout and decoration set up at the festival He was particularly impressed with the national emblem of India made of leavesThe festival will be open from 8 am to 8 pm till Sunday February 2This is the 28th year of the annual Horticulture ExpoIn this years theme of Mumbai Floral Festival an attractive presentation of Indias national symbols has been made with captivating compositions of various flowers The tricolour made of marigold and teak flowers caught the attraction of the visitors A replica of the Bharat Ratna has also been made through wooden art The composition of the mango which is the national fruit is made with marigold flowers at the festival while the Ganges Dolphin the national aquatic animal is adorned with teak flowers of white and pink hues Along with this symbols such as the national flower lotus national currency rupee national animal tiger national tree banyan the Ashoka pillar river Ganga and national bird peacock also attracted the attention of MumbaikarsThere is also an exhibition of garden items and fertilisers An attractive display of different bonsai species medicinal plants crepe paper flowers and a selfie point have also been createdApart from the floral exhibits visitors can also buy indigenous and foreign plants at the flower stalls There are also more than 50 stalls selling agricultural materials pesticides sprayers and agricultural implements at these stallsDay 1 of the festival witnessed witnessed a large footfall of visitors with most of them appreciating the concept of national emblems said the Superintendent of the Park Jitendra Pardeshi The visitors include school students photographers and environmentalists