Nagpur’s Historic Tradition Showcased at Marbat Festival
Nagpur, September 2026 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, renowned actor Jackie Shroff, veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai, actor Ankush Chaudhari and cricketer Umesh Yadav attended this year’s Marbat Festival in Nagpur, adding to the enthusiasm of the large gathering. Consuls from several countries also attended the festival to experience and learn about the city’s distinctive cultural tradition.
Nagpur’s Marbat tradition is unique and has a rich history spanning 145 years. The Marbat-Badgya procession is one of the city’s distinctive cultural traditions. To give the tradition greater recognition at the national and international levels, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation took the initiative to organise the Marbat Festival for the first time this year.
A grand stage was set up at Gandhi Putla Chowk on Central Avenue so that dignitaries could witness the Marbat and Badgya processions featuring representations on various social and contemporary themes.
Nagpur district Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Minister of State for Finance and Planning Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, MLAs Krishna Khopde, Mohan Mate, Pravin Datke and Dr Rajiv Potdar were among those present. Nagpur Mayor Nita Thakre and Deputy Mayor Leela Hathibed also attended the event.
Foreign dignitaries included French Consul Patrick Leverino, Norwegian Consul Monica Niggard and Finnish Consul Petra Thiemann. The dignitaries, including Chief Minister Fadnavis, showered flowers on the procession as it passed through the area.
The foreign guests also showed keen interest in understanding the history and significance behind Nagpur’s Marbat tradition.
Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Vakhare, ruling party leader Narendra Borkar, Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar, former mayors Dayashankar Tiwari and Archana Dehenkar were also present.
The festival was attended by several prominent personalities from the media and entertainment sectors, including Saam TV Editor Nilesh Khare, ABP Majha Editor Sarita Kaushik, renowned chef Vishnu Manohar and graphic designer Vivek Ranade.
Efforts to Give Nagpur’s Tradition a Global Identity Praised
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised the Nagpur Municipal Corporation for its initiative to give the city's historic tradition a global platform.
He said the effort to provide Nagpur’s unique cultural tradition with an international identity was commendable and congratulated the civic body’s office-bearers for successfully organising the festival.
Fadnavis also expressed his wish that all problems faced by ordinary people in Maharashtra’s day-to-day lives should be resolved, while appreciating the efforts to preserve and showcase Nagpur’s distinctive cultural heritage through the Marbat Festival.
