Daler Mehndi to perform at Shimla fest

Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi will be the star attraction at the five-day annual summer festival of dance and music in this Himachal Pradesh capital, organisers said Wednesday.

"The star attraction in the International Shimla Summer Festival will be Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi, who will perform on the last day of the festival (June 5)," Shimla Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Malhotra, who heads the Shimla Summer Festival Committee, told IANS.

Major events during the festival, which begins June 1, include Miss Shimla beauty pageant and a fashion show on June 4. Punjabi comedian Bhagwant Mann is to perform June 3.

The annual summer festival is being organised here since early 1960s. It has seen performances by the likes of Mohammad Rafi, Hema Malini, Jagjit Singh, Mahendra Kapoor and Suresh Wadkar in the past.

The Himachal Pradesh tourism department is expecting an increase of 25-30 percent in the arrival of tourists during the festival.

"We are expecting a good rush of tourists during the festival," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation general manager Yogesh Behl said.