Gairsain, Mar 15 (PTI) "Phool Dei" -- a colourful folk festival welcoming the spring season in Uttarakhand -- coincided strangely with something as mundane as the tabling of the annual budget in the state assembly here.

However, young girls wearing traditional attires gathered in the sprawling assembly premises in the state's summer capital holding in their hands baskets loaded with flowers to celebrate the festival.

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Though preparing themselves for the presentation of the state's annual budget, the assembly members did come out to join the children.

The folk culture of Uttarakhand came alive as the young girls walked into the Vidhan Sabha precincts carrying flower-loaded baskets, sang auspicious songs and showered flowers on Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri, ministers and MLAs who came out to join them in the celebrations.

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Prominent among those who joined them were Khanduri, cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat and Prem Chandra Aggrawal.

Khanduri told the children that festivals like these give a message to connect with nature and realise the importance of its conservation.

She asked them to conserve the state's rich cultural legacy and folk tradition.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)