Bhanu Jayanti to be celebrated with 3-day mega event this year

EVENT TO SHOWCASE ‘MELTING POT OF SIKKIMESE CULTURE’
GANGTOK, 01 July: The 198th Bhanu Jayanti celebrations this year is being planned as a mega event with festivities, literary seminars, competitions, award ceremonies, cultural extravaganzas and gala entertainment for three days ( 11 to 13 July) in the capital.
At a press conference organized here at Nepali Sahitya Parishad Bhawan, Minister RB Subba who is the president of the organizing committee told reporters that the state level Bhanu Jayanti celebrations this year is being organized with an objective to generate more awareness and attachment towards the concept behind the celebrations.
The three-day event spread across different venues in the capital is being considered as an event that will ‘ignite’ the feeling of brotherhood and unity between the three ethnic communities in Sikkim with the culture and traditions of the Lepchas, Bhutia and Nepalese being highlighted at par throughout the celebrations.
“This year the other ethnic communities have also stepped up to make the celebration a fusion of Sikkimese culture. Unlike other years when Bhanu Jayanti was being branded as a celebration of only the Nepalese community, this year the celebrations will be a melting point of actual Sikkimese culture,” stated the Minister.
It may be informed that this year a mixed bag of cultural progarmmes have been lined up with the participation of a Darjeeling based dance and drama troupe and renowned singers and musicians from Nepal which include Swaroop Raj Acharya, Ram Chandra Kafle, Hemanta Rana, Sushma Shrestha and Bimla Rai.
“We have formed more than 14 sub-committees that will look into the different sections of the three-day celebrations. This year we have also added new features to the existing programme that include the addition of awards to the existing Bhanu Puraskar in various categories and also for the toppers of the board exams and competitions at all school levels,” informed the Minister.
He said that previously the celebration committee gave away awards only to the students who had performed exceptionally in Nepali language but this year the toppers in different languages will also be awarded.
Competitions have also been categorized at different levels with debate for college students, the senior secondary schools competing for the title of the best speech, while the secondary schools will compete in the poem competition and the junior high school students will compete in the drawing and painting competition.
Like always, there will also be the title of the best folk dance performing cultural troupe which has also been categorized in the open category and a category for schools. Similarly, organizations can also participate in the Ramayana Path recitation competition which is also the highlight of the programme.
The inauguration of the three-day event as informed will begin from the newly constructed ‘Manan Kendra’ at the new Secretariat Complex which is scheduled to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling on 11 July. On 12 July, the organisers have lined up a number of seminars and deliberations on “Sanskriti Ko Fulbari- Sikkimali Chinari” which is also this year’s theme for the celebrations.
Dr. Ghansyam Nepal will be the main speaker at the seminar in which participants from all over the country and abroad will be presenting papers.
The second day apart from the seminars will also host the grand musical extravaganza. On 13 July which is the final day of the celebrations, the Governor, BP Singh and the Chief Minister will start the day’s activities with the garlanding of the statue at Bhanu path which will be followed by a mega Shova Yatra which will proceed to the venue in front of the Tourism department where a programme will be held. After the rally the congregation will head to Manan Kendra where the programme will conclude after a great line-up of events.
It may be informed that the cultural competitions will be organized at SDF Bhawan, By-pass and only the winners of the competition will be allowed to perform at the final day’s programme at Manan Bhawan.