Ghaggar worshipped

CHANDIGARH, NOV 21: The banks of river Ghaggar came alive today when about 300 members of the Bhawalpuria community, most of whom had migrated to India during Partition, converged on its bridge near Panchkula. Now settled in parts of Patiala, Rajpura and Chandigarh, they expressed their respect for the river, which is the lifeline of the Bhawalpur state, to which they actually belonged.

A quot;havan yagnaquot; was performed by a renowned Bhawalpuri priest, Tek Chand.In his address, Prof D.R. Sharma, head, Department of Sanskrit, Punjab University, narrated the history of the river and added that a whole civilisation flourished around the river in ancient times. He called upon the Bhawalpuris to work towards protecting theriver.

The secretary general of the Federation of Migrant Groups from North Western India, now Pakistan, added that the federation would file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the abatement of water pollution in the river.