Dev Deepawali to be celebrated as silver jubilee of valour in Kashi

Sushant Mishra, president of Ganga Seva Nidhi which organises Ganga Arti at Dashashwamedh Ghat daily, said that on the occasion of Dev Deepawali on November 15, tourists and devotees will be asked to take a pledge ‘Ek Sankalp Ganga Kinare’, to make the Ganga clean and pure, to conserve the environment and water.
Addressing a press conference, Mishra said that this year, the world-famous Dev Deepawali, which is committed to spirituality and nationalism for more than three decades, will be held in a grand manner as the silver jubilee of bravery, dedicated to fallen heroes.
He said that Bhagirath Shaurya Samman will be given to the next of kin of over a dozen jawans who laid their lives this year in the service of the nation.
At the ceremony, director-general, National Disaster Response Force, Piyush Anand, Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta and Sadguru Shri Riteshwar Ji , Mahant Shankar Puri Ji along with government and administration officials will be present, said Mishra.
Under the leadership of Prof Chandramouli Upadhyay, Pandit Shridhar Pandey and the head priest of Ganga Seva Nidhi, Acharya Randhir, 21 Brahmins will worship Maa Ganga in a Vedic manner. With the blowing of conch shells, 21 Brahmins of the Nidhi, accompanied by 42 girls of Durga Charan Inter College in the form of Riddhi-Siddhi and 10 volunteers of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Damru Dal will perform Grand Ganga Arti amidst the ghats and buildings illuminated with thousands of lamps. A cultural programme will be presented by Mohan Rathore and associates.
Twenty-four CCTV cameras have also been installed by the organisation for security of the lakhs of devotees. Also, 100 volunteers of Bharat Seva Shram Sangh and 150 volunteers of Ganga Seva Nidhi will be present with safety equipment, while a team of doctors and ambulances have been arranged by the Government Hospital. A water ambulance has also been arranged by the 11th Battalion NDRF.