A grand cultural programme will be hosted in Varanasi on the eve of the launch of the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas Cruise’, officials said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the cruise, and inaugurate a ‘Tent City’ on the banks of the Ganga river in Varanasi on January 13 via video conferencing.
MV Ganga Vilas will begin its journey from Varanasi and sail around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, traversing across 27 river systems in the two countries.
The Ministry of Culture, in a statement, said it will organise a “grand curtain-raiser cultural programme ‘Sur Sarita – Symphony of Ganga’ on the eve of the launch of the world’s longest river cruise”.
Modi said the 51-day river cruise is a unique opportunity to connect with the country’s cultural roots and discover beautiful aspects of its diversity.
The cruiser has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of carrying 36 tourists and having all luxury amenities. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey, the PMO said in a statement.
“Renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan will lead a grand concert being organised at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor tomorrow evening,” the ministry said.
“During the concert, other dignitaries, including tourists travelling in Ganga Vilas Cruise, will get acquainted with the importance of Mother Ganga and their responsibilities towards her, along with enjoying the ‘Sur Taranginis’.
“This ‘Sur Sandhya’ will make one realise how Maa Ganga is revered as a Goddess for every Indian and for the entire humanity,” the ministry said in the statement.
The cruise will cross through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Assam. These places have their own history of mythology and legends associated with the river, it said.
Keeping this in mind, songs have been chosen from different states to give different flavors in this concert, it added.
The PMO said the cruise has been curated to bring out the best of the country to be showcased to the world.
The cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots, including world heritage sites, national parks, river ‘ghats’ and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
Folk musicians from Assam, Bihar and Bengal will join Mahadevan to pay homage to Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra rivers. The show, of about an hour, will end with Mahadevan’s rendition of ‘Kartavya Ganga’, the ministry said.
“‘Kartavya Ganga’ promises the river goddess that every Indian will always take care of her. We all will do everything to protect her waters as she has always been protecting us. The river, and its everlasting relevance, will be showcased through an audio-visual presentation during the event,” it added.
Also, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata under the Ministry of Culture is organising a Mobile Science Exhibition on Maa Gange: Arth Ganga from January 12.
The exhibition will be flagged off from Varanasi before the concert. The exhibition is a tribute to the Ganga for public awareness about conservation and restoration of the holy river, the statement said.
It will travel to the districts and sites located near the river Ganges. In the exhibitions, 18 panels are displayed including tributaries of Ganga, Ganga and dams, Sunderbans, among others places, it said.
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