Under the inspiration and guidance of Governor of Punjab Shri Banwari Lal Purohit, the foundation day of Uttarakhand state was celebrated here today at Punjab Raj Bhavan under the ‘Ek Bharat-Shrestha Bharat’ scheme.
In the captivating cultural program organized on this occasion, Nanda Devi Lok Jat Yatra of state of Uttarakhand was presented by the artists of North Zone Cultural Centre.
In a first, the felicitory video message of Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, S. Gurmit Singh was played on this occasion.
While addressing the guests, the Governor extended his greetings to the people of the nation especially the people of Uttrakhand on the State Foundation Day. He appreciated the performances of all the folk artists. The Governor said that the purpose of celebrating these Foundation Days is to strengthen the spirit of brotherhood, integrity and unity of the nation and remembering the efforts of those who worked hard to achieve statehood.
Speaking about Uttarakhand, the Governor said that the land of Uttarakhand is Devbhoomi, Tapobhoomi and Veer-bhoomi where pilgrims have been coming for more than a thousand years in search of salvation and purification from sin. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri are the four most sacred and revered Hindu temples present there which are also known as Char Dham of Uttarakhand.
He said that Uttarakhand is not just a pilgrimage destination for Hindus only. Hemkund Sahib, located in the lap of the Himalayas, is a pilgrimage place for the Sikhs.
Purohit further said that the contribution of the land of Uttarakhand and its people to India is significant. Uttarakhand is the origin of many rivers that have irrigated and nurtured a large part of India.
Later, he talked about the importance of unity in diversity and said that no matter which state, community, caste or creed we belong to, first of all we are all Indians and it is important to promote unity and brotherhood.
Prominent people present on the occasion included Mr. Anup Gupta, Mayor UT Chandigarh, Mr. Nitin Kumar Yadav, Home Secretary, UT, Chandigarh, Mr. Praveer Ranjan, DGP, UT, Chandigarh and other civil and police officers and a large number of natives of Uttarakhand settled in Chandigarh.
