Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh urban administration minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, during his visit to the Malwa Utsav at Lal Bagh ground, expressed concern that while the event is festive, it lacks authentic representation of Malwa’s culture.
Addressing the gathering from the main stage alongside event organiser and MP Shankar Lalwani, Vijayvargiya emphasised the need to showcase Malwa’s traditional attire, cuisine and language in future editions.
He recalled his childhood memories of visiting markets with his father, where traders proudly wore traditional Malwi attire, including the iconic Malwi turban and sherwanis. “Today, you hardly see anyone in that attire. People have forgotten the Malwi turban and even those who knew how to tie it are disappearing,” he remarked.
Vijayvargiya stressed that stalls representing authentic Malwa cuisine like dal-bati, doodh-jalebi and doodh-rabdi should be included. He suggested dedicating an entire section of the festival exclusively to Malwa’s culinary heritage.
He also lamented the fading use of the Malwi language and recommended organising folk song competitions and cultural activities to revive it. “We are drifting away from our roots. When we started celebrating Gudi Padwa as our New Year, people didn’t even know what it meant. Once, Ujjain was the timekeeping capital of India,” he noted.
Calling for a deeper cultural connection, he urged that Malwa Utsav must truly reflect the spirit, tradition and identity of the region in the years to come.
