Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that Bhagavad Gita is a major source of inspiration for the youth as this sacred scripture not only shows them the right path but also inculcates moral values in them so that they could contribute effectively in the nation building.
Speaking at the Global Gita Chanting programme organized as part of International Gita Mahotsav-2020 through video conference, here in which 55,000 students of different schools across the State collectively recited 18 verses (one each from 18 Chapters of Bhagavad Gita), the Chief Minister said that the day today is unique in many ways as we are not only celebrating International Gita Mahotsav but also the birth anniversaries of two great personalities namely Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Apart from this, people are also celebrating Christmas today.
Khattar said that apart from Vice Chancellors and students of 17 Sanskrit Universities of the country, Vice Chancellors of all Universities of the State are also connected with this programme. He said the Government provides quality education to the students so that they could excel in their life.
Similarly, Gita has its own relevance as the positive energy and vibes emanating from the shlokas of Gita put a positive impact on the mind of the youth and assist them in choosing the right path in their lives.
He said that 36 years prior to Kaliyuga, Lord Krishna had delivered the celestial message of Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra which has now become the essence of our life.
The chief minister said that various great personalities who have participated in the freedom movement of the country like Mahatma Gandhi, Balgangadhar Tilak, Vallabh Bhai Patel, Neta Ji Subhash Chandra Bose also followed the teachings of Gita in their life and got freedom to the country.
The teachings of this Holy Scripture are equally relevant in the prevailing modern times, he added.
He said that 31 years ago in 1989, Gita Jayanti was celebrated only at State Level. Thereafter, it was organized at National level. But, since 2016, Gita Jayanti of international level is being organized in the State.
He said that with a view to propagate the teachings of Bhagavad Gita worldwide, International Gita Mahotsav was also organized in Mauritius and the United Kingdom (UK). Similar event was also scheduled to be held in Australia but it had to be called off due to COVID-19 Pandemic, he added.
Khattar said that due to COVID-19 situation, this year International Gita Mahotsav is being organized through digital medium so that we could achieve the objective of disseminating the teachings of Bhagavad Gita in every corner of the world.
He said that besides Kurukshetra, programmes are also being organized at the pilgrimage sites located within 48 KoS for which he congratulated the organizers of the events.
The Chief Minister said that the present State Government has established Maharishi Valmiki Sanskrit University at Mundri in district Kaithal to further promote Sanskrit language in the State and to transcribe various religious texts in an easy language so that people could be benefited from the same. He said that the University is also working towards the further promotion of Sanskrit Gurukuls being run in the State.
Earlier, speaking on this occasion Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Ji Maharaj, who was present at Kurukshetra said that Lord Krishna had delivered the celestial message of Bhagavad Gita on this pious land of Kurukshetra.
He said that Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) in association with Haryana Government has been organizing International Gita Mahotsav for the last many years. But, due to COVID-19, this year the festival is not being organized at a grand scale. However, lakhs of people are connected with this programme through the online medium.
He said that today 55,000 school students from all 22 districts of the State collectively recited 18 verses of Bhagavad Gita. He said that two years ago, over 18,000 school students recited 18 shlokas from 18 chapters of the Gita together during the International Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra thus creating a world record.
While Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sandeep Singh joined the programme at Kurukshetra, those who were present here in Chandigarh included Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, D.S Dhesi, Secretary to Governor Haryana, G. Anupama, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, V. Umashankar, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister namely Amit Kumar Agrawal and Ashima Brar.
