Starting from Dec 7, Int’l Gita Mahotsav set to be grand affair

The International Gita Jayanti will be a grand affair this year too as the state government is set to spend crores on the religious extravaganza in the holy city of Kurukshetra.

The Gita Jayanti Mahotsav would be observed from December 7 till 23 at Brahm Sarovar in Kurukshetra.

A craft mela, laser light show and cultural programmes will also be organised where thousands of artistes from across the country would showcase their products to visitors.

18,000 schoolchildren are set to recite verses from the Gita, the sacred scripture containing invaluable advice of Krishna, on December 18.

An official of the Kurukshetra Development Board, which is organising the event, said they have demanded an amount of ₹12 crore from the state government for the event, but sources said the total expenditure might soar up to ₹15 crore.

Kurukshetra Development Board secretary Madan Mohan Chhabra said, “As of now, we have not decided on the expenditure, but chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has assured us that there is no dearth of money to organise such events.”

“He has asked us to maintain transparency in the expenditure,” Chhabra said and added that the board also had other sources of income, “but most of the expenditure will be done by the state government”.

“We are also trying to rope in Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and singers Gurdas Mann, Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Paudwal for the event,” Chhabra said.

Vijay Rupani, chief minister of Gujarat — the partner state this year— is among hundreds of representatives of religious institutions who are likely to visit Kurukshetra during the mahotsav.

Governors of five states would also attend the event.