Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected
to attend a mega spiritual event titled Ek Lakh Gita Path or One Lakh Gita
Verse Recital by 1 lakh people in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground on December
24.
The event will be held by the Lokkho
Konthe Gitapatha Committee – an association of Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad,
Matilal Bharat Tirtha Seba Mission Ashram, and Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrit Porisad.
Swami Nirgunanda Maharaj said Gita verse
recitation events are not new. Societies have been conducting these programmes for
centuries all across the world, but an event of this magnitude is happening for
the first time.
“We did a Gita path with 5,000 people at
the ISKCON temple at Nawadip. In US, we also have done a Gita path with 20,000
people as well. So we thought of reciting Bhagwad Gita with one lakh people at
the Brigade Parade ground in Kolkata,” he shared.
He further informed PM Modi was pleased
to know about the event. However, Prime Minister’s Office has not yet confirmed
the organisers about his arrival.
Besides, President Droupadi Murmu,
Dwarkadhish Shankaracharya and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were
invited.
Talking about the objective behind
organising such event, the Swami said there’s no political links to the
programme. Spreading awareness about teachings of Gita the sole aim, and the organisers
hope hold a bigger event next year.
Ahead of the mega event, Kolkata has witnessed
a remarkable spike in the sale of Bhagavad Gita copies.
Kolkata Unit Gita Press manager Anand
Ladia noted the sale of Bhagavad Gita have increased by three times in the city
and across Bengal.
Gita Press has recorded sale of 55,000
Bengali copies of the book in the last month alone from their branch in Kolkata.
In addition, 34,000 Hindi copies of the
Bhagavad Gita were sold in November, which is almost three times the sale in
September and October respectively.
At Kolkata’s College Street market, shopkeepers
and traders witnessed an increase in the sale of Bhagavad Gita as many people
celebrate Gita Jayanti, one of the most special Ekadashis.
The event, known as Mokshada Ekadashi, will
be celebrated on December 23.
NE Watch Desk
