'Fete de Puducherry' to begin tomorrow

Artistes from Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry would present programmes during the festival, a release from the Department of Art and Culture said.

It said that troupes from the states would present programmes in urban and rural areas during the three days.

The festival is held in association with the South Zone Cultural Centre Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) every year to bring to focus the multi-faceted cultural features of various states.

The Puducherry government has been holding the festival since 1985 as part of celebrating Independence Day and also Liberation Day of Puducherry (August 16) The union territory in a referendum in October 1954 favoured liberation of Puducherry and its constituent regions from French regime, paving the way for the merger of Puducherry with Indian Union.

The de facto merger took place in 1954 followed by de jure transfer of power on August 16, 1962.