This being a season of festivals in Haridwar, it is the turn for annual four-day Ma Ganga Mahotsav just after the literary festival was over. On the second day of Ma Ganga Mahotsav on Friday which kicked off on Thursday, Run for Ganga was hosted during which the city mayor, academicians and MLA from Ranipur ran along with students from Bhalla College stadium to Prem Nagar Ashram while spreading the message of Save Ganga.
The festival had started with a symposium on Ganga in contemporary times. The four-day festival is packed with myriad cultural activities and poetry recitations by the famed poets, informed the organisers, adding that the people’s spontaneous participation in the festival was remarkable.
Speaking to The Pioneer, the president of Haridwar Nagrik Manch (Citizens Council of Haridwar) S K Batra said, “Just the way the Ganga feeds millions who depend on it for livelihood directly or indirectly and brings them prosperity, we likewise wish to give the local talent a platform to bloom nicely. The four-day festival has cultural programmes featuring the local school and college students.
On the final day of the festival, a Kavi Sammelan would be organised during which the noted poets like Hari Om Pawar, Afzal Manglori, Yogendra Nath Sharma and Saklen Jwalapuri would speak on their poems and dwell on the immense import of Ganga on the collective life of the nation besides its exalted place as the fount of the Indian civilisation.”
A devotional evening would feature many unknown talents from the city itself whose voice would be heard across the country through live streaming, he said. “Things are going on as per our expectations. Our mission behind the festival on the holy river is being fulfilled, he added.