Haryana’s chief minister termed 4,443 cases of malaria being reported from Mewat district as “small incidents.” Releasing the official logo for his government’s ‘Haryana golden jubilee celebrations featuring the ‘Gita sandesh (message of the Gita)’ chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday also ignored questions related to “biryani sampling” before leaving in a huff.
Even though he had previously insisted that questions be restricted to the ‘swarna jayanti’ (golden jubilee) celebration that will begin with Haryana Day on November , but he was asked questioned about biryani samples collected from Mewat being tested for beef hogging the headlines over the past few days. Questions were also asked on the outbreak of malaria in Mewat, which has seen 4,443 cases reported in the last three months. “These are small, individual incidents,” the CM said, before leaving in a huff.
The logo itself had attracted questions if the event was trying to promote a particular religion through it. Conceptualised by Khattar himself, it features a white ‘shankh’ (conch shell) and depicts Arjuna’s chariot on the battlefield of Kurukshetra and Krishna’s lessons to him.
Incidentally, it was such a similar inspiration that led Khattar rename Gurugaon to Gurugram (Guru Dronacharya) even as Khattar insisted the logo had nothing to do with religion. “This collage of images captures the essence of Haryana as a society, its culture and ethos and symbolises the spirit of celebration on the occasion of the ‘swarna jayanti’. The colour of the rising sun uplifts the spirits and makes one feel optimistic, enlightened and spiritually heightened. It also means generosity, happiness, tradition and brilliance, the attributes that mark the land and the people of Haryana,” he said.
He added, “When a ‘shankh’ is blown, it radiates positive vibes and wards off negative energy in the environment. It represents the auspicious beginning of the festivities, positive energy and atmosphere with the spirit of brotherhood and harmony throughout the state. Besides, a protective armour of chaitanya (consciousness) is formed. The particles of bliss are also emitted in the atmosphere. This increases the proportion of ‘shakti’ (energy), ‘chaitanya’ and ‘anand’ (joy) in the environment and makes the negative energies disappear.”
Beginning on November 1, when PM Modi will inaugurate the ‘swarna jayanti samaroh’ at Tau Devi Lal Stadium the golden jubilee celebrations will go on for one complete year.The CM announced that a five-day cultural event will be organised in Kurukshetra in January in which several NRIs from Haryana will participate. He also announced that a national games meet will be organised in 2017.
