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Brahma Sarovar immersed in festivities

The Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra is abuzz with different activities these days hosting people from all over the world for the International Gita Mahotsav 2019.

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Nitish Sharma

The Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra is abuzz with different activities these days hosting people from all over the world for the International Gita Mahotsav 2019. 

Folk artistes from 28 states and nine union territories will be seen in action, while international award winning craftsmen will exhibit their art.

Nearly 510 traders and craftsmen from different states have set up more than 700 stalls, where visitors are busy seen buying stuff incuding Kashmiri woollen shawls, iron utensils, artificial flowers, mats, artificial jewellery, books, handmade craft items, furniture and enjoying food items of different states. 

The fourth edition of the International Gita Jayanti Festival began with Saras and craft fairs on Novemebr 23. The excitement will be on till December 10. Cultural events will be organised from December 3 to 8.

The festival is getting bigger with each passing year. The Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) started the Gita Jayanti Samaroh as a two-day Kurukshetra mahotsav in 1989-90. Now, it has turned into a full-fledged festival. Last year, over 40 lakh people visited the festival and this year, the KDB is expecting more visitors.

Honorary secretary of KDB Madan Mohan Chhabra said: “The government and the KDB have been making sincere efforts to develop Kurukshetra as an international tourist destination and promote Gita Jayanti Mahotsav. Our aim is not only to promote Kurukshetra, but make all tirthas falling under the 48 kos of Kurukshetra a major religious destination of North India. The Centre has allowed the state government to use the logo of Atulya Bharat (Incredible India) during the mahotsav. This year, the Gita Jayanti was celebrated in London also and the next year it will be celebrated in Australia in March 2020. With the help of people, the festival is getting bigger with each passing year.”

Uttarakhand is the partner state for this year’s Gita Mahotsav. In all, 15 countries are participating and delegates from Britain, Mauritius, Australia and Canada are visiting Kurukshetra.

Mention in World Book of Records

Last year, the reciting of ‘shlokas’ from 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita by 18,000 students together during the International Gita Mahotsav was recorded in the World Book of Records, United Kingdom. 

Even this year, 18,000 children and 3,000 local residents will be reciting shlokas on December 8.

Star attraction

The cultural events in which famous artistes, including Gurdas Maan, Daler Mehndi, Ameesha Patel, Kumar Vishwas, Satinder Sartaaj and Abhijit Bhattacharya will perform will be held from December 3 to 8. 

Mired in controversy too

The state government and KDB have been accused of spending crores of rupees non-judiciously in the organisation of the festival. Recently, an RTI activist had accused the government of spending money in a non-judicious manner after getting information through RTI Act. He had said that nearly Rs 12.15 crore was spent in 2017.  

“A whopping sum of Rs 29.17 lakh was spent on the Radharas Vihari dance performance of BJP MP Hema Malini and Rs 15 lakh on BJP leader Manoj Tiwari's performance, as they belong to the BJP. A total of Rs 162.98 lakh was spent on cultural events and Rs 71.26 lakh on publicity. Besides, Rs 3.79 lakh, including freight charges, were spent on purchasing 10 copies of Gita, of which seven were gifted to VVIPs, including President Ramnath Kovind, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Haryana CM. Gifting such an expensive copy of Gita is something unexpected. There is no need to spend lakhs of rupees on the performances of actors and singers. I don't have any objection to the celebration of the mahotsav, but the government must use the public money judiciously,” said PP Kapoor, RTI activist. 

However, the KDB has always maintained that it has helped Kurukshetra in attracting tourists, generating employment and getting projects from the Centre along with funds from companies under CSR. 

During the 2014 event, 5 lakh people visited Kurukshetra. The figure increased to 28 lakh in 2017 and 40 lakh in 2018. As per the information, a sum of Rs 20 crore has been kept aside by the state government for the festival this year. The money will be released against the actual expenses made. 

An official said a huge sum is spent on the construction of permanent structures as well.

Schedule of star performers

December 3: Gurdas Maan

December 4: Ameesha Patel 

December 5: Daler Mehndi 

December 6: Kumar Vishwas, Gajendra Solanki 

December 7: Abhijeet Bhattacharya 

December 8: Satinder Sartaaj 

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