CELEBRATIONS: Valmiki Jayanti celebrated with fervor

Ferozepur, October 30, 2012: On the eve of Valmiki Jayanti, the traditional enthusiasm and religious fervour marked the birth anniversary celebrations of Maharishi Valmiki in Ferozepur City and Cantonment areas.

Devotees thronged the tastefully decorated Valmiki temples in City and Cantt and participated in kirtans and bhajans organised to mark the occasion.

The procession was organized by Ancient Valmiki Mandir Committee which started from Mandir premises and by passing through the main bazaar reached back at Mandir.

Devotees lined up on yatra routes and distributed prasad among the participants. The city wore a festive look as several buildings along and temples were illuminated. Colourfully decorated tableaux, several of them prepared by children, featured prominently in the shobha yatra.

The statue of Bhagwan Valmiki was also installed on this occasion in the temple premises.

Kamal Sharma, Political Adviser to Chief Minister alongwith MLA Joginder Singh Jindu and D. P. Chandan were present as chief guest and guests of honour. 

Felicitating the people, Kamal Sharma called upon the people to carve out an ideal, value based and harmonious society by following the teachings of Bhagwan Valmik to strengthen the bonds of compassion, love, peace and brotherhood in the state.

He further said, Maharishi worked throughout his life for the uplift of the downtrodden and oppressed. He asked people to make sincere efforts in fighting distortions prevailing in the society and help in fulfillment of Valmiki's dreams of building a classless society. He appealed to the community to impart maximum education to their kids.

On this occasion, Hans Raj, Surinder Baboo, Aman, Sunil Mehta, Manjit Singh besides a good number of followers and workers were present.

Speaking on the occasion, Inder Singh Gogia, president and Ashok Bajaj, ITO (Retd.) vice president,  NGOs Coordination Committee, Ferozepur Unit, said, “Valmiki was an apostle of Indian mythology and culture. His "Adi Maha Kavya Ramayan'' represents Indian cultural and religious concepts that inspire the common man to fight against justice and exploitation”.

A retired district education officer, K. K. Dhawan, president citizen forum, paid rich tributes to Maharishi Valmiki and emphasised the need for imparting quality education to the children of the Dalits so that they could effectively face the challenges of globalization and high-tech vocational needs.