International Gita Mahotsav to be held in Kurukshetra from November 28 to December 15, with Tanzania as Partner Country and Odisha as Partner State

International Gita Mahotsav to be held in Kurukshetra from November 28 to December 15, with Tanzania as Partner Country and Odisha as Partner State

The sacred city of Kurukshetra in Haryana is set to host the grand International Gita Mahotsav from November 28 to December 15, 2024, continuing the tradition of celebrating this prestigious event with great fervor. Since 2016, when the Haryana government elevated the Gita Mahotsav to international recognition, the state’s name has garnered significant prominence both domestically and internationally. Each year, the festival is celebrated globally, drawing attention to the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Bhagavad Gita.

Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Kurukshetra Development Board, chaired a review meeting regarding the preparations for the event at his official residence, Sant Kabir Kutir. The meeting was attended by Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel and renowned Gita scholar Swami Gyananand Maharaj. The officials discussed and finalized important details concerning the festival, ensuring that this year’s event will be as spectacular as ever.

One of the key decisions made in the meeting was the designation of Tanzania as the partner country and Odisha as the partner state for this year’s International Gita Mahotsav. The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of maintaining cleanliness throughout the city during the festival, to ensure a pleasant experience for the international and domestic visitors. He called for the involvement of local social and religious organizations, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and youth groups in these efforts, directing that a special cleanliness campaign titled “Divya Kurukshetra” be launched, with his personal participation.

The core events of the Gita Mahotsav will take place from December 5 to December 11, with December 11 marking the grand celebration of Gita Jayanti, the holy day commemorating the birth of the Bhagavad Gita. Moreover, district-level Gita Mahotsav programs will be held across Haryana’s district headquarters from November 9 to December 11, ensuring that the entire state participates in this spiritual festival.

The meeting also highlighted the use of social media platforms to expand the festival’s reach and popularity. The Department of Information, Public Relations, Languages, and Culture will organize a competition on YouTube under the theme “My Favorite Shloka in Gita,” where participants can submit videos of their favorite verses from the Bhagavad Gita. The video with the most likes will receive a prize of ₹1 lakh during the closing ceremony of the festival.

Additionally, it was shared that national-level exhibitions and live broadcasts will be organized at four prominent religious sites in India: Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Dwarka in Gujarat, Udupi in Karnataka, and a religious site in Odisha. These exhibits will further promote the cultural essence of the Gita Mahotsav to a wider audience.

Present at the meeting were the Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Rajesh Khullar, Additional Principal Secretary Dr. Amit Aggarwal, Commissioner and Secretary of Urban Local Bodies Vikas Gupta, Director General of Information, Public Relations, Language and Culture K. Makarand Pandurang, Deputy Commissioner of Kurukshetra Rajesh Jogpal, the Chief Minister’s Political Advisor Bharat Bhushan Bharti, Chief Executive Officer of the Kurukshetra Development Board Pankaj, Foreign Cooperation Department Advisor Pawan Choudhary, Honorary Secretary of the Kurukshetra Development Board Madan Mohan Chhabra, and other members of the board.

#InternationalGitaMahotsav #Kurukshetra #GitaJayanti #HaryanaTourism #CulturalHeritage #SpiritualFestival