Chandigarh August 14: Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal, will inaugurate a multi-sensory show depicting part of the Bhagavad Gita, at Jyotisar in Kurukshetra on August 20, 2019. This unique show uses a combination of film, light, sound and water to bring to life the basic tenets of the Gita.

While disclosing this here today, an official spokesman said that the show would motivate the people to further understand and assimilate this eternal philosophy. Crores of persons over centuries have come with devotion to the Banyan tree. It was here that Lord Krishna revealed the philosophy of the Vedas in the form of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the eve of the Mahabharata – the Kurukshetra War.

He said that the efforts of the present Government, to ensure reach of divine message of Bhagavad Gita to the people all over the world, the International Gita Mahotsav is organised every year at Kurukshetra. Many big personalities participated in the Mahotsav included the President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, former Union External Affairs Minister, late Mrs. Sushma Swaraj. Recently three-day International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav was organised in London which concluded on August 11 with a grand Shobha Yatra. In February this year, it was organised in Mauritius.

The spokesman said that the show including concept, production and infrastructure, has been donated by “TRL Riceland” in the memory of its founders namely Narshidas Thakrar, his wife Hira Thakrar, and eldest son Rashmi Thakrar. The Narshidas left Gujarat at the tender age of 18 in search of work opportunities in Uganda. Some 35 years later, he and his family were expelled from the country and they sought refuge in the UK. It was then he had the idea to supply basmati to the western world.

He said that Narshidas returned to his homeland and, with his sons, established India’s largest and most innovative rice plant in Samana Bahu, Kurukshetra. This was at a time when there was no telephone line in the village, and one had to travel 8 kms to wait in line to simply make a phone call. He said that Narshidas and his son Rashmi spent many years developing relationships with the local rice farmers of Haryana. They started the first private farm extension services in the area for free and were instrumental in helping basmati growers receive a fair price for their crop and also disseminating vital information to improve farm incomes, he added.

He further said that Narshibhai and Rashmibhai, individually and through the company were associated with several local initiatives like the development of the entrance gate to the city of Kurukshetra and schools in Nilokheri amongst others. He said that the idea of this show came from Rashmibhai- as he lay waiting to “meet his friend Krishna”- for whom the Bhagavad Gita had been a source of comfort and inspiration. One of his last wishes was that the Gita’s eternal philosophy should be propagated to provide others with the same spiritual solace that he himself had received from it.