Many states are realising that hosting mega events puts the spotlight on them and raises their profile.
Uttar Pradesh had the Maha Kumbh 2025. Telangana will have Miss World 2025.
By comparison, Telangana's effort will be modest, but it could be a turning point for the state.
As always, not everyone agrees. Enter politics over pageants.
Telangana Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao recounted in the assembly how discomfited he felt when, during a recent visit to the United Kingdom for tourism promotion, he was asked where Telangana was.
'Many countries do not know about Telangana. The plan is to take advantage of the Miss World event to showcase the state's culture to the world and attract tourists,' Rao said.
The event will stretch from May 7 to 31, when a new Miss World will be crowned in what promises to be a dazzling ceremony on the night of May 31 at the Hyderabad International Exhibition Centre (HITEX).
Representatives from 120 to 140 countries and about 3,500 journalists will attend the event, Rao said, adding that this would be a precursor to Telangana creating the infrastructure to host more such events, including an international convention centre, which could accommodate 20,000 people in Hyderabad -- along the lines of the Jio World Centre in Mumbai.
The aim is to eventually host a 'Hyderabad Carnival' like the Rio Carnival, Rao said.
The government says the event will cost around Rs 54 crore (Rs 540 million).
The Telangana department of tourism, along with corporate sponsors, will foot the bill, which is expected to be around Rs 27 crore (R 270 million).
Miss World Ltd, the company that runs the competition, will pay 50 per cent.
Unsurprisingly, many feel that the state should have other priorities.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi used the revenue shortfall of Rs 71,000 crore (Rs 710 million), shown in the state Budget (presented in the assembly on March 19), to ask if a beauty pageant was really necessary.
Speaking to Business Standard on the phone from Hyderabad, K T Rama Rao, working president of the BRS, said: "Telangana is dealing with a distress situation in farming with more than 509 farmers committing suicide over the past one year and farms facing a drought-like situation.
"The groundwater table has depleted and many districts are seeing a severe water shortage. During this time, at the peak of summer, the government wants to hold a beauty pageant."
"They are trying to sell the idea that a lot of jobs and revenue will be created by this event. When I ask how, they have no answer.
"Please tell me: What is the return on investment on the Rs 54 crore that is being spent in the name of Miss World?"
He summed up: "Beauty pageants are obsolete."
For Rama Rao, the pain is personal.
His grand idea, the Formula E race event, which Hyderabad was to host in 2023, was cancelled when the BRS lost the assembly elections.
Corruption cases were lodged against him.
He told Business Standard: "They didn't rest till they cancelled the event.
"We were working towards sustainability, setting up a mobility valley, electric vehicles and making Telangana a one-stop destination for the future of transportation.
"But then long-term thinking is not a strong feature of the Congress government."
To this, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said: 'In Formula E case, Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao misused government funds. Don't know what problem he has with the Miss World competition.'
Despite the bitter contestation, Hyderabad is undeniably in the grip of excitement.
A photograph posted on Instagram by the reigning Miss World, Krystyna Pyszkova, dressed in a bright pink silk sari at the Yadagirigutta Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, said: 'Visiting the Yadagirigutta temple brought me joy and peace of spirit ... And this is just the beginning! I can't wait to see more of Telangana and its hidden gems!'
Telangana's tourism tagline is 'Telangana Zarur Aana.'
Many states are realising that hosting mega events puts the spotlight on them and raises their profile. Infrastructure creation is an added bonus.
Though 2036 is more than 10 years away, the Gujarat government, which has bid to host the summer Olympics that year, has set up a special purpose vehicle, the Gujarat Olympic Planning and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (Golympic).
It will create conditions to make Gujarat the national hub of sporting events.
Tamil Nadu will host the World Classical Tamil Conference in Chennai in June this year. The state has assembly elections in 2026.
Sikkim, in keeping with its size, has planned an Ed Sheeran concert as part of the closing ceremony to celebrate 50 years of its accession with India.
In Uttarakhand, a Pravasi Uttarakhandi Sammelan was an initiative launched by Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami in 2023. It seeks to bring together all Uttarakhandis in India and abroad together once every year.
Union Minister for Tourism Gajendra Shekhawat told the Lok Sabha on March 24 that the 'India Says I Do' campaign for wedding tourism was launched by the Union government in collaboration with states.
Taking advantage of this, the Rajasthan government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry organised the 'Wed in India' expo alongside the Great India Travel Bazaar at Jaipur on May 5 last year.
'The event was attended by wedding planners from India and abroad, state governments, media, international and domestic tour operators and event management companies,' Shekhawat said.
Increasingly state governments are seeing event management as a way to involve and engage voters.
For many, it is politics by another name.
Betting Big
- Gujarat has bid to host the summer Olympics in 2036
- Tamil Nadu will host the World Classical Tamil Conference in Chennai in June this year
- Sikkim has planned an Ed Sheeran concert to celebrate 50 years of its accession with India
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
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