Rain may turn Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival into damp squib

The three-day World Culture Festival, organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living, commences today.

New Delhi: Amid anxious moments at the sprawling Yamuna plains, the venue of the World Culture Festival, weather officials here on Thursday forecast that heavy rain is "very likely" in and around Delhi.

"Heavy rain very likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi," said an official announcement for March 12 (Saturday) by the Indian Meteorological Department.

An uneasy calm prevailed in the sprawling complex on the fragile Yamuna flood plain as foot soldiers of the Art of Living struggled to put up a good show for the three-day World Culture Festival in the capital beginning on Friday.

The National Green Tribunal, an environment court, on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to the World Culture Festival, organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-headed Art of Living, on the condition that it pay an advance fine of Rs 5 crore.