DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday formally inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav (IGM), organised on the banks of the Brahmasarovar in Kurukshetra.

Saini offered prayers and performed a "yajna" near the statue of Lord Krishna's chariot at Kurukshetra's Purushottampura Bagh amid chanting of mantras.

According to an official statement, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Tanzania's Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Tabia Maulid Mwita, Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Maharaj and Haryana's former minister of state Subhash Sudha also participated in the "yajna".

Tanzania is the partner country while Odisha is the partner state for this year's IGM, which is being held from November 28 to December 15.

The main events of the festival will be held from December 5 to December 11.

Meanwhile, all the dignitaries inaugurated the pavilion of Tanzania and explored stalls showcasing the country's food, lifestyle and attire. Later, they inaugurated and visited a state-level exhibition organised by the information, public relations, language and culture department. The exhibition displayed the Haryana government's achievements over the last 10 years through various departmental stalls.

Saini congratulated the people of the state and extended his best wishes for the IGM. He said the state government's efforts have transformed the festival into an international event.

The chief minister said live broadcasts of the IGM are being done at Puri's Jagannath temple, Vrindavan's Banke Bihari temple, the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura, the Dwarkadhish temple in Gujarat, the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and the Thikana Mandir Shri Govind Dev Ji in Jaipur.

Saini said the IGM has achieved immense success and popularity over the last eight years since it was first organised by the Haryana government in 2016. Lakhs of people from India and abroad have attended the event over the years, he said, adding that approximately 45 lakh to 50 lakh people participated in it last year and a similar turnout is expected this year.

The chief minister said the key highlights of the IGM-2024 will be a global Gita recitation with 18,000 students, cultural programmes by artistes from various states that will organised by the Department of Art and Culture, international Gita seminars, a grand "aarti" at the Brahmasarovar, "Deepotsav" and more. Swami Gyananand said the festival has become a celebration for the public, with people from across the country and abroad participating in it.

(editor@dailyworld.in)