The idea is to get people together, enjoy the culture of the state, talk about the days before we got our freedom and what people went through for it. Around Rs1 lakh was spent and posters and banners put up to publicise the event
It’s summer, which means most Mumbaikars are hot under the collar. But, not these 150-odd people who have gathered for the Vasant Utsav at Girgaum.
Surrounded by buildings in the Mokbath area in Girgaum, these residents are enjoying a talk show about the virtues of goddess Lakshmi and the right ways in which she should be earned.
“It is time people hear about this. They are only running after money and losing their morals,” said Rajhans Shirodkar, a local who listens intently to Sri Sukta, a verse from the Rig Veda. While the first day is about virtues, that attracted mostly senior citizens, the four following days of the festival focus on the culture and historical figures attached to the country’s independence movement.
Residents gather twice every month for a talk show on career guidance for students, health talks for senior citizens, educational programmes, and not very long ago, they even had the Marathi Margashish Mahotsav where they learnt a thing or two about Maharashtrian culture.
It is an initiative of the programme organised by locals with the intention of getting people familiar with the city’s culture, history and socially relevant issues.
“The idea is to get people together, enjoy the culture of the state, talk about the days before we got our freedom and what people went through for it. The first day focuses on teachings of our religious scriptures,” said Ajit Bedekar, the chief organiser of the five-day event.
Around Rs1 lakh was spent and posters and banners put up to publicise the event. “This time we have called for cancer patients to come and perform an orchestra in Hindi and Marathi music.
The music will be of their choice. It is done to encourage these children, as some have even fought cancer,” he added.
The kirtan, which is the highlight of the festival, will see kirtankars from across Maharasthra gather and one place and perform. The kirtans will be on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Vasudeo Balwant Phadke and Bhagat Singh.
“The kirtankars will be coming from Nagpur, Pune and Malwan areas. All this helps people get a glimpse into the ways in which people transmitted messages in earlier times,” Bedekar added.
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