Kurukshetra, March 4
The three-day fifth edition of the International Gita Mahotsav (IGM) on a foreign land concluded at Colombo in Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The event was jointly organised by the Kurukshetra Development Board and the government of Sri Lanka.
As part of the celebrations, a copy of Srimad Bhagavad Gita was presented by the delegation from Haryana in parliament of Sri Lanka on Monday. During the festival, a crafts bazar, book fair, shobha yatra, seminars, school-level competition, exhibition, cultural and musical shows and a ‘Maha Aarti’ were organised.
Honorary secretary of the KDB Upender Singhal said, “The festival concluded in Sri Lanka. It was a matter of pride for us that the government of Sri Lanka was involved in the celebrations and the festival was celebrated on a grand scale. The cultural minister of Sri Lanka has expressed desire to take the relations further and they may also sign some MoUs in the coming days.” Madan Mohan Chhabra, chairman of the 48-kos Tirtha Monitoring Committee, said, “A copy of Srimad Bhagavad Gita was presented in Parliament of Sri Lanka. Thousands of people, including school-level children, scholars, and artistes participated in the festival and various events,. Not just a medium to propagate the teachings of Gita, but promoting Kurukshetra as a cultural tourism destination is also among the prime objectives behind the mahotsav being organised in foreign countries.”
“Around 30 socio-religious organisations like ISKCON and GIEO Gita actively contributed to the successful organisation of the event. A delegation of 100 devotees from India attended it. This event will go a long way in fostering cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka by spreading the message of universal peace. Dr Vaishali Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, KDB said.
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