Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced on Friday that the 10th International Gita Festival will begin here on Saturday and continue until December 5. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Gita Mahotsav on November 25.
Speaking to reporters alongside Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Maharaj, BJP state president Mohanlal Badoli, and Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, the chief minister said Gita Mahotsav celebrations have also been held in countries like Mauritius, Britain, Canada, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Japan.
Since 2016, the International Gita Mahotsav has grown each year, with more devotees from India and abroad attending and arrangements expanding accordingly, Saini said. He claimed the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas were
composed on the sacred banks of the Saraswati river, and this land is blessed as the birthplace of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. Saini said the eternal wisdom given by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita marks 5,163 years this year.
Police sources said that after the Delhi blast, Haryana is on high alert and security for the Gita Festival has been increased. Chief Minister Saini said this year, Madhya Pradesh will be the partner state for the International Gita Mahotsav, and its participation will add to the festival’s grandeur. Madhya Pradesh will set up a cultural pavilion at Purushottampura Bagh near Brahma Sarovar, with stalls showcasing its culture, crafts, and cuisine as the main attraction.
Saini also said that from November 24, a three-day International Gita Seminar will start at Kurukshetra University, where Gita scholars and researchers from India and abroad will present their research papers online. This year, 25 scholars from 16 countries will join the seminar, and Gita Mahotsav events will be held in 51 countries. Twenty priests from Fiji and Trinidad and Tobago will visit Kurukshetra for two days to take part in various programs, and 25 artisans from seven countries will display their crafts during the festival.
Saini said that on December 1, ‘Deepotsav’ celebrations will be held at all 182 pilgrimage sites in Kurukshetra, and a Gita Shobha Yatra will be organized with participation from various religious and social groups. From November 24 to December 1, grand cultural events will take place every evening at Purushottampura Bagh, based on themes from the Gita, Mahabharata, and Lord Krishna. From November 28 to 30, student competitions like Gita shloka recitation, speeches, essay writing, painting, rangoli, and crafts will be held at Sannihit Sarovar and Brahma Sarovar. A Gita Book Fair will be held from November 24 to December 1 at Brahma Sarovar, featuring major publishers from across the country.
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