Religious persons, singers from outside to attend
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 11: ‘Basohli Marathon’ and ‘Run for Basohli’. Daily ‘Ravi Aarti’ on the banks of Atal Setu and religious performance by different teams of Goa, Ayodhya, Pryagraj and Chhattisgarh are among the highlights of Basohli Festival being organized jointly by the divisional administration, Department of Culture, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) and Vishwasthali, a local organization devoted to welfare and development of Basohli, from September 28 to October 2.
However, 114-year-old traditional Ram Lila of Basohli will start on September 22 itself.
Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director IGNCA said the ‘Basohli Marathon’ will be a competitive race while ‘Run for Basohli’ will be open for all. Both races will be held on concluding day of the function i.e. October 2 coinciding with Dussehra festival.
The Basohli Marathon will take place from Atal Setu to Bahram Gala in Bani covering a distance of 21 kilometers while ‘Run for Basohli’ will cover five kilometers in the town.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will attend Basohli Festival on October 2.
“Deep Nritya’ by a team from Goa, ‘Hanuman Nritya’ by an Ayodhya team, ‘Pandavani Ramayan’ by Himanshu Joshi, who is part of Indian Ocean Band, Sunderkand Path by Ajay Yagnik of Prayagraj, daily ‘Ravi Aarti’ on the banks of Atal Setu and ‘Chau Nritya’ by a team of Chhattisgarh are among the major highlights of Basohli festival this year,’’ Awasthi said.
This will be third consecutive year of Basohli Festival which was started in the year 2023 keeping in view the significance of the town, falling in Kathua district of Jammu province, which is famous for its paintings and pashmina shawl, both of which have been got GI tagging.
Besides, Awasthi said, panel discussions by students, youth and religious organizations which will focus on studies, religious topics, sports and, above all, creation of opportunities for local youth, will also be part of the Basohli Festival.
Traditional sports of Jammu like Chousar, Chattapu, Santolia etc which are at the verge of extinction, will also be taken up during the festival to revive and promote them, she added.
Ram Lila of Basohli has been quite famous for maintaining tradition. The flag is installed on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan by the man who plays role of Lord Hanuman Ji. From 7 to 70 years, the people play role in the Ram Lila which is thronged by the people from different parts.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
