Get the cameras out: Tulip festival opens

The rich, green lawns of Lutyens Delhi will be dotted in a spectrum of vibrant colours for nearly two weeks, starting Saturday, as the New Delhi Municipal Council rolls out the second edition of its Tulip Festival.

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Residents will be welcomed with white, yellow, red, pink, orange, purple, black and yellowred tulips planted in parks, lawns, roundabouts, and along sidewalks as part of the 12-day long festival, which will draw to a close on February 21.

The programme commences on the lawns of Shanti Path in Chanakyapuri and will include tulip walks, and photography and painting competitions, said NDMC officials.

The event, first held last year, was attented by thousands of people, armed with cameras, cellphones, and notebooks.

NDMC chairperson, Amit Yadav, who inspected the preparations on Friday, said NDMC has planted around 200,000 tulip bulbs in seven colours this year, with around 80,000 bulbs planted in the Shanti Path area alone.

Nearly 300,000 tulip bulbs were acquired from the Netherlands, of which 100,000 were given to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The Dutch embassy also gifted the council around 40,000 bulbs, which have been planted on roundabouts. Last year, NDMC planted around 130,000 tulip bulbs.