Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Sunday that some verses (shlokas) of the holy book Bhagavad Gita will be included in school curriculum. In an event organised on the occasion of International Gita Mahotsav 2022 at Kurukshetra, Khattar said: “5159 years ago, Lord Krishna gave sermons about the importance of ‘karma’ in Bhagavad Gita. The Gita shlokas recited on the holy land of Kurukshetra have been showing the path of knowledge and eternal peace to humanity since ages. This holy book has also taught us the essence of living life with peace and harmony.” The CM attended the Gita Vaishvik Path programme organised under the aegis of Kurukshetra Development Board and Education Department. “On the occasion, 18,000 students from various schools of Kurukshetra recited 18 verses of 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita. More than 75,000 students of government and private schools across Haryana and people from different countries virtually joined the programme. All of them recited shlokas of 'The Song of God' for global peace,” an official release stated. Officials said that earlier this festival was celebrated only at the district-level, but since 2016, this festival has been given the status of International Gita Mahotsav. Extending warm wishes on Geeta Jayanti and referring to Kurukshetra as the origin place of Bhagavad Gita, Khattar said: “In order to connect the young generation with Bhagavad Gita, the government has started programmes like Gita Vaishvik Path recitation at the festival to inculcate moral values and education in the youth so that they become a responsible citizen of the country. Every verse recited in this Gita Vaishvik Path programme spreads positive waves in the atmosphere. The state government is making consistent efforts to organise such religious programmes in all other districts, besides Kurukshetra.” The CM took feedback from the officials of the tourism department about the Mahabharata theme and other projects being built at Jyotisar Tirtha and directed them to expedite the work. The CM also launched the “Tirth Mitra” portal on the occasion. “Whether it is a village or a city, where pilgrimages are established, a committee of local people should be formed and a plan for the development of pilgrimages should also be prepared,” said Khattar, who performed Gita puja and yajna at Kurukshetra.
