Acting President of Mauritius, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory on Thursday announced that Mauritius will organise Gita Mohatsav in the month of February 2019 and a delegation from India has also been invited for the event.
Vyapoory was speaking at the inauguration of three-day International seminar on ‘Making New India-Insight of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita’ being organized as part of International Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra. Mauritius is the partner country and Gujarat is the partner state in the International Gita Mahotsav – 2018 being inaugurated at Kurukshetra on Thursday.
The Gita Mahotsav 2018 was formally inaugurated amidst chanting of Mantras and blowing of Shankh in front of Brahma Sarovar. Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and Chief Minister Manohar Lal performed prayers at Brahma Sarovar by worshipping the holy scripture, Shrimad Bhagvad Gita.
Manohar Lal informed that BJP national president Amit Shah was scheduled to visit the holy city on Thursday to attend the Gita Mohatsav but he could make it due to health issues.
The Gita Mahotsav 2018 will be held from December 13 to December 18.
Speaking at the seminar, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory said that teaching of sacred Gita is as relevant today as it has been when Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Gita to Lord Arjuna in the battlefield about 5300 years ago.
He said that it is very good to see that Haryana Government has decided to celebrate the International Gita Mohatsav to propagate the teachings of sacred Gita.
Majority of population in Mauritius is from India . We are very much Indian and also celebrates festivals like Diwali, Mahashivrati, Pongal, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ram Navmi and Krishan Jayanti, he said.
He said that the bond between India and Mauritius is very strong and there is feeling of brotherhood between people of both countries. He also thanked Chief Minister Manohar Lal for making Mauritius as partner country in International Gita Mohatsav and also inviting him to Kurukshetra to be a part of the event.
Speaking on this occasion, Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya described Kurukshetra as a centre of spiritual and religious education. It is the same land where Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Bhagvad Gita to Arjuna, he said.
Giving special emphasis on imparting quality education to all especial to children belonging to weaker section of the society, he said that it is necessary in further strengthening the society and the country.
During his address, Manohar Lal said that the sacred book Srimad Bhagvad Gita is not confined only to spiritualism but has a practical relevance. The Holy Scripture of 700 shalokas has a message for people belonging to all sections of the society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working towards building a new India through the message of Gita and taking new initiatives consistently for the welfare of people of different strata of the society, he added.
Throwing light on the significance of Srimad Bhagvad Gita, the Chief Minister said that the holy Scripture has something in it for every section of the society be it farmers, students, teachers, politicians, soldiers and traders.
He said that at the International Gita Mohatsav this year, Mauritius is the partner country and Gujarat is the partner state.
Mauritius is a small country with about 13 lakh population, majority of them are from India. Several countries have come forward to celebrate Gita Mohatsav at international level and Mauritius is first among such countries as it has decided to celebrate Gita Mohatsav in the month of February 2019, he said.
The country also has institute after the name of Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi and also Rabindranath Tagore which reflects strong bonding between India and Mauritius, the Chief Minister said.
He also referred to the deep relations between Haryana and Gujarat saying that while Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Bhagvad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Dwarka in Gujarat has been his (Lord Krishna) Karmabhoomi.
He said that today, he has also visited Gita Sansthanam set up in Kurukshetra. Pictures associated with sacred Gita have been displayed in the Santhanatham giving the Holy Scripture recognition at international level.
Manohar Lal said to further spread the teachings of sacred Gita, programmes are also being organized at district and block level in Haryana. Apart from this, the government has also included Gita Shlokas in the school curriculum to inculcate moral values among the students from an early age, he added.
Earlier, the dignitaries released a coffee table book entitled “48 Kos Ek Sanskritik Yatra” depicting the photographs of 134 religious sites falling within 48 Kos of Kurukshetra. Apart from this, a souvenir and a book on events organized during the International Gita Mahotsav last year were also released.
