Soon, Gita show in English at Jyotisar

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, August 21

Tourists from other countries and other states of India who visit the Jyotisar Tirtha, the birthplace of the Gita in Kurukshetra, but don’t understand Hindi will soon be able to enjoy the light-and-sound show in English. The show recreates episodes from the epic Mahabharata.

The English version show will be introduced in a month and is being prepared in Mumbai.

The devotees who visit Jyotisar have got a new light-and-sound show and it will be presented with the help of water screens. The show was inaugurated last night by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The light-and-sound show was started nearly 16 years ago at the Jyotisar Tirtha but it had lost all its sheen over the years.

The new show will be of 34-minute duration in which besides the Gita, important episodes of the Mahabharata will be recreated with the help of lights, animation, sound, water screens, fountains and projectors. The banyan tree will play the narrator’s role.

Speaking to The Tribune, Madan Mohan Chhabra, honorary secretary of Kurukshetra Development Board, said, “A large number of people, including foreign tourists and people from other states, visit the Jyotisar Tirtha, but many of them don’t understand Hindi. To ensure that even they enjoy the show and understand the teachings of the Gita, it was decided to introduce a show in English too. The show in Hindi, which was recreated in Mumbai, was inaugurated last night at Jyotisar. The English version is being dubbed in Mumbai and will be introduced in a month. However, the English version will be shown as per demand only.” Gurugram-based TRL Riceland Private Limited has spent Rs 8 crore for this show under its CSR programme and it will maintain the project for two years. After that, it will be handed over to the Kurukshetra Development Board.

“Indian film writer Atul Tiwari has also worked on this project and he was present last night during the inaugural ceremony. The show will be screened at 7.30 pm daily and 250 people can watch it at one time,” Chhabra added.

Along with the show, the CM inaugurated different developmental projects, including a PHC in Barna village, four-laning and widening project of 20-km Sahranpur-Kurukshetra road, new building of the Power Department and sewerage pipeline project for 20 colonies and newly constructed sewage treatment plant in Narkatari.

Epic projection

The new show will be of 34-minute duration in which besides the Gita, important episodes of the Mahabharata will be recreated with the help of lights, animation, sound, water screens, fountains and projectors. The banyan tree will play the narrator’s role.