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Journalism of Courage
The Yogi Adityanath-led government has issued directives to district magistrates across Uttar Pradesh to organise grand religious and cultural programmes at temples of goddess Durga and shaktipeeths (significant pilgrimage sites linked to Shaktiism) through the nine days of the “Chaitra Navratri” and Ram Navami festival that begins on March 22. This marks a significant scaling up of the celebrations, which were earlier held at divisional headquarters.
In a nine-point directive, dated March 10, the state culture department instructed all divisional commissioners and district magistrates about the cultural programmes that should be organised. Officials have been directed to complete all the preparations by March 21 and share the GPS locations, addresses, photographs of the selected temples, and the contact details of the temple management bodies. Two nodal officers have been appointed at the state level to coordinate between the different branches of the administration.
During Chaitra Navaratri, the nine avatars of Durga are worshipped. The directive says that the recitation of Durga Shaptshati, Devi gaan, and Devi jagran have to be organised at the temples and shaktipeeths and according to it, the government will run a special drive to ensure the participation of women and girls in these programmes. The details and photographs of events set to be organised will be uploaded on the Department of Culture’s website.
On March 29 and 30 — Ashtami and Ram Navami — the recitation of “Akhand Ramayan” and programmes to propagate “human values, social values and national values” will be organised at prominent shaktipeeths. An organising committee for these events will be constituted at each development block, tehsil, and district level.
A committee head by the district magistrate in each district will select the artists who will perform at the religious and cultural programmes. Public representatives will be invited to these events and public participation has to be ensured, says the directive. The Department of Culture will allot Rs 1 lakh to each district administration to pay the honorarium to artists chosen to perform at the events. The district administrations will make other arrangements at their own level. The government has said that hoardings should be put up on temple premises to promote the work it has done to develop the shaktipeeths and temples.
The culture department’s Principal Secretary, Mukesh Kumar Meshram, said such celebrations had been held at temples in the past and he had only issued a reminder to the districts before Navratri. Meshram said the district administrations had been directed to coordinate with the temple committees regarding the arrangements to be made at the temple premises during the nine days of festivities.
“Such events will be organised to promote religious and cultural tourism in the state, especially among the youth,” said the bureaucrat.
Assistant Director (Culture) Rangbharti said such events on Chaitra Navratri had been organised in the past too at the divisional-headquarter level and before the Covid-19 pandemic. “This time programmes are going to be organised at the district level at a grand scale at several temples,” said Renu Rangbharti, the state-level nodal officer for the programmes.
