EASTERN INDIA’S FIRST LA TOMATINA FESTIVAL ORGANISED AT SHILLONG

TNI News Service (TNS)

Webdesk, TNI Shillong 30^th May, 2016: Hundreds of people participated in the recently held La Tomatina Festival at Shillong of North East. The main organizer was jointly done by the Directorate of Horticulture, Meghalaya, and Khasi-Jaintia Vegetable Sellers Association. According to Anthony Lyngdoh, Publicity Secretary of Amazing Colours of India “This is basically an international festival, celebrated all over the world. We are giving the platform to local and upcoming talents. We are providing them with a platform to showcase their talents. We are hoping for a very good response and this kind of shows if we can organize from time to time it will only help promote tourism”. A huge enthusiasm was observed among the youth of Shillong as well as the nearby states. The organizers made use of tomatoes discarded by local vegetable sellers to use in the festival. La Tomatina is a festival organized in Valencian, a town in Eastern Spain where hundreds of people participate and throw tomatoes at each other. Apart from the tomato festival, there was also an exhibition of the local handicrafts. Tourist thronged the place along with the locals to celebrate the first La Tomatina festival of Eastern India. Several attempts were made in the past to organize La Tomatina in India but the festival never emerged citing several reasons.