New Delhi: The Celebrations of the Ganga Utsav 2020 continued with great enthusiasm across the Nation on Day 2 of the event today. From Rajeev Khandelwal talking about his experience of working on Rag Rag Mein Ganga season 1 to Trichur Brothers, the makers of the Ganga Anthem, the theme of day 2 at Ganga Utsav was how working with Namami Gange transformed them at their core and has built an unbreakable bond with river Ganga. “What started as a professional assignment became a life changing experience for me”, said Rajeev Khandelwal while speaking to Richa Anirudh. The first season of Rag Rag Mein Ganga was aired by DD National, and within a span of a little more than 3 months, the show reached more than 16 million viewers across the country. The show intended to reconnect the people of India to the river Ganga through exploring its rich history and culture.
The event started with Ministers and Heads of States joining from different parts of the country virtually. Minister of State, Jal Shakti Ministry Shri Rattan Lal Kataria flagged off the day and announced that since the first day of the festival, thousands of people have joined the festival through Facebook and other platforms, not only from the country but also from abroad. “In the last 6 years, this program has become so popular among the common people that people are connecting with it in different ways. Youth are getting involved in the cleanliness of rivers which is a matter of joy” he added. Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand said, “I am hopeful that people will join Ganga Utsav, will gather and share information.”
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, spiritual leader, in his greetings said initiatives like Ganga Utsav can be very instrumental in connecting people to the river. With blessings he said, “May this generation be deeply involved and dedicated to this cause (Ganga rejuvenation), so that our future generations can know the splendor and majesty of mother Ganga as our ancestors knew her.”
In the Ganga Dialogues series, Padam Bhushan Anil Joshi, an environmentalist, explained the importance of rivers and the urgency to preserve them. He emphasized that the government does not own the benefits from the river but people do and hence they need to own the cause. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, NMCG joined the Dialogue and explained the approach and need to connect cities, connect the people with river for continuous improvement.
In ‘Story by Ganga’ by celebrated story-teller, Neelesh Mishra the holy river Ganga came alive as if she herself was present at the event. More stories in Kahani Junction by Your Story bag continued to keep the audience hooked to their screens. Garima and Kamal from Your Story Bag gave a precious message of water conservation through a puppet show – ‘Tiddalik – The Giant Turtle’. ‘Life in a river’, ‘We share the same river’ and ‘The River of tomorrow’ were thought provoking stories.
Day 2 concluded with a rocking performance by Kabir Café by Neeraj Arya, a band which sings only Saint Kabir’s verses in contemporary style. More than 5000 people have participated in the Mini Ganga Quest so far. Final rounds were held and the results of the quiz will be announced tomorrow at the closing ceremony.
Tomorrow on the National River Day, the event will conclude in the presence of the Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Watch out for live performance by Kailash Kher and big announcements and launches.
Through Swachhata Abhiyans, plantation drives, drawing & painting competitions and quiz competitions across the country, Ganga Utsav was celebrated. At Varanasi a Ganga Cleanliness Campaign and Ganga Shapath was organised along with a ‘Walk for Ganga’.
Links to join the Ganga Utsav 2020
http://www.gangautsav.in/
https://www.youtube.com/namamigange
https://www.facebook.com/cleanganganmcg
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