Chandigarh, December 3 - Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal said that the State Government is developing Kurukshetra as a magnificent and divine city with an aim to make it the cultural capital of the State and ensure that the name of Kurukshetra is figured among the prominent religious places of the country.
Mr Manohar Lal was speaking in the 4th International Seminar on Universal Welfare and the Eternal Philosophy of Bhagavad Gita organized as part of International Gita Mahotsav at the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Sadan, Kurukshetra University in Kurukshetra today. He urged the people to adopt Gita in their lives as it would not only show them right path but also provide strength to fight the challenges of life.
The Chief Minister said that the message of Bhagwad Gita is immortal and eternal and it should reach to 600 crores of people in the world. This he said could only be possible when the place where the sacred book has been originated be developed as a divine city. Lord Krishna had delivered the eternal message of Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna on the holy land of Kurukshetra 5156 years ago; he said adding that besides Kurukshetra, it has also been decided to develop religious sites falling within the radius of 48 kilometers of the holy city as the people have lot of faith in these ancient sites. He said that the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has been entrusted the responsibility of development of these places.
The Chief Minister said that this is the 4th International Seminar in a row. In the year 2014, it was organized in the name of Kurukshetra Utsav. But after he assumed the charge of administration of the State, the name of Gita had been added to the Kurukshetra Utsav. Thereafter, it has been decided to involve the participation of other countries also in this grand festival and since 2016, International Gita Mahotsav is being organized in the State. While furthering the scope of this festival, the State Government has also decided to celebrated it at district headquarter also from 2017, he added.
He said that earlier, the dozens of countries used to send their representatives to participate in the Gita Mahotsav but it is matter of pride that after the call made by him during the festival last year, countries are coming forward and decided to celebrate Gita Mahotsav in their countries. Mauritius is the first such country to organize festival in February, 2019 followed by UK in the month of August. Adding to this list, now International Gita Mahotsav would be celebrated in Australia in March 2020 and Canada in July 2020. He also expressed special thanks to neighboring country Nepal who have also offered to celebrate Gita Mahotsav in their country. He said that this year Uttrakhand is the partner state and Nepal is the partner country for the International Gita Mahotsav.
While describing today as an important day, Mr Manohar Lal said that today is the birth anniversary of first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad and young martyr of Indian Freedom Movement Khushi Ram Bose. He said that significant steps are being taken for the development of Kurukshetra as a tourist destination of international level . He said that amount of about Rs 95 crore received from the Government of India under Krishna Circuit-II is being spent on the development of sites of religious significance including Brahma Sarovar and Jyotisar. Stating that the State Government would provide all necessary facilities to the people visiting Kurukshetra, he said that besides making arrangements for boarding and lodging by various social organizations, a 5-star hotel is also being constructed by the Tourism Department.
He said that an Airport between Karnal and Kurukshetra would also be developed which would further increase the attraction of visitors towards the holy city. He said that Tirupati Balaji Temple and Iskon Temple has been constructed in Kurukshetra. Keeping in view that as 8 out of the 10 Sikh Gurus have visited the land of Kurukshetra, it has been decided to set up a Sikh Museum of International level here for which suitable land has also been identified. Also, Bharat Mata Temple would also be constructed in Kurukshetra on five acres of land, he added. Describing Saraswati River as the ancient river, he said that projects worth crores of Rupees are being implemented for the development of Adi badri, the origin point of the river. To provide an appropriate place to scholars for carrying out research work on Gita, a building of Gio Gita Sansthan is also being constructed, he further added.
In his address, Chief Minister of Uttrakhand Mr Trivendra Singh Rawat thanked the Haryana Government for making Uttrakhand the partner state in the International Gita Mahotsav this year. Mr Rawat said that he came from such a state where programmes associated with the “Pandavas”are organized on various auspicious occasions. He said that the Lakshya Greh”of Mahabharta Era is still existing in Uttrakhand on the bank of river Yamuna.
Mr Rawat said that political will is paramount for the success of any programme and the Haryana Government has given the message of this strong political will by organizing International Gita Mahotsav. He said that countries who have large scale physical infrastructure are now craving for peace and happiness which could be possible only through Gita.
Haryana Education Minister Mr Kanwar Pal Gujjar described Gita as an amazing scripture and said that one could get new inspiration every time he gone through this sacred book. He said that Kurukshetra is the same land where lord Krishna had delivered the divine message of Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna. He urged the people to follow the path as shown by lord Krishna for the welfare of society and mankind. He lauded the efforts made by the State Government led by Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal for disseminating the message of Bhagwad Gita world over.
Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Ji Maharaj said that the decision of the State Government to celebrate International Gita Mahotsav has started yield fruitful results as the relevance of the Bhagwad Gita is being seen in the whole world. He said that the teaching of this Holy Scripture is not only confined to Hindus but to the whole humanity. Today, the scholors and thinkers having different ideology are seen accepting teachings of Bhagwad Gita. He exhorted the people from all walks of life to work for giving new identity of Gita at world level by rising above the petty politics. He described Gita as a source for the purification of politics.
Deputy High Commissioner of Nepal to India Mr Bharat Kumar Regmi congratulated the Haryana Government for organizing international seminar on Gita and said that similar seminar should be organized in Nepal also. He described Gita as the largest scripture and said that its teachings are the essence of life. He said that Nepal and India have age old relations which date back to Vedic era, the era of Mahabharta and Ramayna.
Chief Councilor Zimbabwe Embassy Mr Love Moore Nebu congratulated the State Government for organizing the 4th International Seminar and said that India and Zimbabwe has a long history of cooperation. He said that Zimbabwe has relaxed visa norms for Indian nationals and now they would be able to get on arrival visa in Zimbabwe so that maximum Indians could visit his country. He hoped that his visit today would open new avenues of investment partnership between Haryana and Zimbabwe and India in particular. There is a huge potential of Indian investors to invest in Zimbabwe and exchange of cultural troops between both countries.
Vishwanand Kutir from Mauritius said that International Gita Mahotsav has been celebrated in Mauritius in February 2019 with lot of enthusiasm. He said that the assistance of Mahatma Gandhi Sansthan in organizing the event had been commendable.
Acharya Rishi from Canada said that it has been decided to celebrate 3-day Gita Mahotsav in Canada in July 2020. He said that Toronto area of Canada has strength of 5 to 7 lakh India Population and people there are very enthusiastic for this upcoming event. He also invited Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal and other dignitaries to participate in the Gita Mahotsav in Canada.
Seva Singh from Australia said that Gita Jayanti would be celebrated in Sydney, Australia from March 20 to 22, 2019 with the assistance of Association of Haryanvi in Australia, Jain Mandal, Iskon and other organizations. He invited Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal and other dignitaries to participate in the event.
Mr Umesh Sharma from London also shared his view on the Gita Jayanti celebrated in London this year.
Vice-Chancellor Dr. Kailash Chandra Sharma presented welcome address.
Earlier, Governor Mr Satyadeo Narain Arya, Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Uttrakhand Mr Trivendra Singh Rawat and other dignitaries released Coffee Table Book entitled Suryagrahan Mela aur Antarashtriya Gita Mahotsav. They also released souvenir prepared by Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra on the topic of 4th International Seminar. Apart from this, they also released the research papers submitted by the scholors in the International seminar organized in the University last year.
Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Mr Sandeep Singh, MLA Mr Subhash Sudha, faculty members of University and large number of students were also present on this occasion.