Now, Kashi’s Ganga Mahotsav has become a global event: Min

Varanasi: The three-day Ganga Mahotsav kicked off on the banks of the Ganga at Assi Ghat with a grand cultural programme on Tuesday evening.The inaugural event featured performances by eminent musicians, including vocalist Padma Bhushan Pandit Sajan Mishra of Banaras Gharana, Kathak exponent Yasmin Singh from Delhi, Kuchipudi artist Himanshi Katradda from Telangana and others.The cultural programme also included devotional and folk singing by Aradhana Singh, sitar performance by Supriya, Birha singing by Parasnath Yadav, folk singing by Vipul Chaube, devotional singing by Shankar Vishwakarma, a classical performance by Kashi Ras Band, and classical singing by Vidushi Navneeta Choudhury from Kolkata.Earlier in the day, minister of state for stamp and court registration fees (independent charge) Ravindra Jaiswal formally inaugurated the cultural extravaganza with the worship of the Ganga. Addressing the gathering, he said that Ganga Mahotsav, held annually on the banks of the Ganga, has now become an event not only for Kashi but also for people from across the country and the world. People eagerly await this programme.He emphasized that if the origin of musical notes is said to be from the waves of the Ganga, it would not be an exaggeration. The waves of the holy Ganga are music in themselves. MLC Hansraj Vishwakarma, chief development officer Himanshu Nagpal, and others performed the Ganga Pujan on the occasion.