Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 13: Baisakhi festival was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety by organizing many functions and fairs across the region today.
The day also mark the birth of “Khalsa Panth” and devotees from the Sikh community celebrated the occasion with great religious fervour and enthusiasm at many places.
The Gurdwaras were highly decorated and special prayers were offered by the thousands of devotees visiting these places.
In connection with the Baisakhi Festival, the famous annual Mela at Ranbir Canal, Rajinder Park, Jammu was held today.
A large number of temporary shops and stalls had been raised in the form of impressive market. There were special attractions for the children including cart ride.
Thousands of people from Jammu city and adjoining areas thronged the Mela. The local administration had made elaborate security arrangements.
On the occasion as per old tradition, many people had dip in the Ranbir Canal, river Tawi, Chenab, Ravi, Basantar and Devak in Udhampur while many paid visit to religious shrines of Purmandal and Utterbehni.
Huge rush of devotees was witnessed at Har-ki-Pauri, near Bahu Fort on the left bank of river Tawi early morning. At Akhnoor also a large number of people had holy dip in river Chenab.
The people celebrated Baisakhi festival at Nagni Mata Temple at Bhaderwah. Cultural Daku Dance was performed by the believers of Nagni Mata.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh said that Government has initiated the necessary measures for undertaking inclusive and sustained development of the State on equitable basis. Deputy Chief Minister was addressing a huge gathering after inaugurating Baisakhi Mela at Nach Ground Bilawar in Kathua district. Minister for Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, Abdul Gani Kohli, MLA Bani, Vice Chairman J&K Kissan Board, Diljit Singh Chib and Deputy Commissioner, Kathua were also present.
Mela showcased the rich cultural heritage of the region including Dogri folk songs, dances, devotional songs, pahari performance besides stalls were also installed by different departments. DyCM also distributed prizes among the meritorious girls who have excelled in studies and sports under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative.
A 3-day Baisakhi festival was inaugurated at Indo-Pak border at Suchetgarh today by the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Choudhary. The festival was jointly organised by Department of Tourism and Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Language. MLA RS Pura Gagan Bhagat, Senior officers of Tourism Department, Cultural Academy, BSF and district administration were also present on the occasion besides prominent citizens of the area. Various multi lingual cultural programmes were also presented, which were the centre of attraction for the people attending the festival. Various Government departments had also installed their stalls to display the information related to their area.
Minister of State for Tourism, Education, Technical Education, Horticulture, Floriculture and Parks Priya Sethi inaugurated three day Baisakhi Festival at Vivekanand Chowk being organized by the Tourism Department. Member Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA Jammu East, Rajesh Gupta, Senior BJP Leader Yudhvir Sethi, besides Dr Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Farooq A Shah, Secretary Tourism, RK Varma, Director Tourism, Jammu, Namrita Dogra Joint Director Tourism, Vinakshi Koul Deputy Director Tourism, senior officers of Tourism Department, Civil and Police Administration and Gulchain Singh Charak, Peter, Karan Singh, Akram Ahmad, Baldev Khullar, Baldev Baloria and various others dignitaries were present on the occasion. The festival began with a procession which started from Vivekanand Chowk and culminated at Mubarak Mandi. People from all sections of society participated in the procession in their traditional attires depicting the varied culture of Jammu. Folk dances like bhangra, haran dance, jattar, kud and marshal art display by Sikh contingent were the main attractions of the procession. Special contingents of Dogra Saddar Sabha, Muslim Federation, Jammu, All India Christian and Dalit Society and Shri Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee also participated in showing the composite culture of Jammu. Later, a Tanga ride was also inaugurated by Priya Sethi in presence of MLA Jammu East, Rajesh Gupta, Senior Leader BJP Yudhvir Sethi and Director Tourism Jammu RK Varma. The Tanga ride passed through various areas of Old City. A scintillating cultural programme was also organized by the Department in collaboration with artists of J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages at Kanak Mandi. The first day festivities culminated with evening Arti at Jia Pota Ghat, Akhnoor and Mubarak Mandi followed by cultural programmes.
MLA Ramnagar RS Pathania threw open the traditional “Annual Baisakhi-Mela” in the historic Chougan of Ramnagar wherein officers of Tehsil and Police administration, were present besides prominent people and general public. The main attraction of the Mela was the magic show, Well of Death (Maut ka Kuan) and various other Jhoolas put up by a team which had been brought specially for this Mela. Besides it stalls of various eateries and toys were put on by shopkeepers. Various artists invited specially for the mela presented dogri songs and dance items.
MLA Ramban Neelam Kumar Langeh inaugurated Baisakhi Mela at Assar block. While speaking, MLA highlighted the importance of the festival.
Gurdwara Digiana Ashram, Jammu celebrated Baisakhi festival with zeal and enthusiasm on the directions of Shri Akal Takht Sahib Amritsar. In the programme, various Sikh organizations, Ragi Pracharaks alongwith entire Sikh community people took part. A resolution was passed by the Sikh community people, wherein they demanded cabinet berth to two Sikh community people vis-à-vis declare Minority Commission for Sikh community, solve unemployment of Sikh youth and introduction of Punjabi language in schools. Among others present were Sudarshan Singh Wazir, President Sikh United J&K and Ex-President J&K State Gurdwaras Prabandhak Board, Avtar Singh Kalsa, Ramneek Singh, Darbinder Singh, Fateh Singh, Raja Singh, Member DGPC Jammu, etc.
Shiromani Dera Nangali Sahib at Poonch also celebrated Baisakhi festival in which thousands of pilgrims took part. The programme was held under the supervision of Mahant Manjit Singh of Shiromani Dera Nangali Sahib Poonch. All the Ragi Pracharaks of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan were also present. VC SNU Dr Shazad Malik also visited the Gurdwara and in his address said that Sikhism is synonym of valour and sacrifices. Narinder Singh, President SGPC District Poonch, General Secretary Rajinder Singh, General Secretary, SGPC Poonch, Advocate Rajinder Singh, Prof Netar Singh, Principal Sant Racha Singh Degree College, Jammu, Charanjeet Singh and Surjan Singh Joint Secretaries of SGPC Poonch were also present.
Management Committee Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev, Chand Nagar, Jammu organized Kirtan Darbar to commemorate Baiskhi festival. Large number of people participated in the programme and listen the kirtan by Ragi Jathas. The ragi jathas were honored with Siropa. While speaking Kulvinder Singh, President Management Committee of the Gurdwara Sahib demanded declare the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Jee Chand Nagar as Historical place and put it on tourist map, shops of Municipal Committee in Chand Nagar falling in the precincts of Historical Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Jee should be removed, Minority Community status to Sikh Community, naming Kunjwani Chowk as Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk, appointment of Punjabi teachers in schools and colleges, removal of electric poles fixed in the land of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Jee Chand Nagar, etc.
DDC Udhampur Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary inaugurated 3-day Devika Baisakhi Mela on the bank of holy Devika rivulet in Udhampur town. DDC had a round of stalls installed by various departments for general awareness of different schemes. A number of temporary sweet shops, toy shops, Gandolas and other eatable corners by the locals as well as outside vendors are the main attraction for the general public visiting the Mela site. For the entertainment of the people at the mela site, district administration is organizing mega cultural event in which scintillating performances by the artists of Information Department Udhampur and Bhartiya Lok Sangeet Kala Sansthan, Jammu will mesmerize audience. Chairman Devika Baisakhi Mela Management Committee, Romesh Singh, PO, DRDA, Dr Jagdish Mehra, Deputy Controller Civil Defense, Bodh Raj, Mela Officer, Sapna Kotwal, Chairman BLSKS, ML Dogra and many others were present on the occasion.
Vice-President BJP Yudhvir Sethi inaugurated Peer Kho Baisakhi Mela. Yudhvir along with Mahant Swami Sarvanand Saraswati performed the Dwaja Aropan ceremony and ceremonial Tawi Ghat Pujan. Senior citizens and winners of the Shiv Ratri Shobha Yatra procession were felicitated on the occasion.
Students and staff of Astro Kids Playway and Daycare Sainik Colony celebrated Baisakhi festival with enthusiasms. The programme started with a presentation by the students dressed as Panj Pyaras, who highlighted the historical background of the festival. Besides Baisakhi, students gave a presentation on the importance of harvest festivals of other States of India. Chairperson Archana Sharma emphasised the significance of the festival.
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