Basohli Utsav, Chhau festival in Srinagar figure in Mann Ki Baat

Jammu, Nov 26: ‘Looms of Ladakh’ weaving an inspirational story; internationally acclaimed ‘Basohli-Utsav’ organised in Kathua district and recently held ‘Chhau’ festival in Srinagar Sunday figured, with their intrinsic splendour, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat.’
In the 107th episode of his monthly programme, the Prime Minister mentioned the ‘Basohli-Utsav’ and 'Chhau’ festivals held in Srinagar while talking about the rich heritage of the country, which often finds manifestation in the fairs and festivals.
“Just like the fairs held in every village, various dances also possess their heritage. There is a very famous dance in the tribal areas of Jharkhand, Odisha and Bengal which is called 'Chhau'. 'Chhau' festival was organized in Srinagar from November 15 to 17, with the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.’ Everyone enjoyed the 'Chhau' dance in this programme,” the Prime Minister said.
He stated that a workshop was also organized to impart training in the 'Chhau' dance to the youth of Srinagar.
“Similarly, 'Basohli-Utsav' was organized in Kathua district a few weeks ago. This place is 150 km away from Jammu. Local art, folk dance and traditional Ramlila were organized in this festival,” PM Modi mentioned.
At the fag end of his programme, while talking about “collective effort towards a goal”, which he said, “ensures the higher level of success”, the Prime Minister shared “an inspiring example of Ladakh.”
“You certainly must have heard about the Pashmina shawl. Ladakhi Pashmina has also been discussed a lot for some time now. Ladakhi Pashmina is reaching the markets around the world under the name of ‘Looms of Ladakh.’ You will be surprised to know that more than 450 women from 15 villages are involved in weaving them,” he said.
“Earlier they used to sell their products only to the tourists coming there. But now in this era of Digital India, the products made by them have started reaching different markets in the country and the world. That means our local is now becoming global and on account of that, the earnings of these women have also increased,” the Prime Minister said.
He stated that such success stories of women power were present in every corner of the country.
“There is a need to bring such examples to the fore as much as possible. And what could be better than ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to convey this?” PM Modi said.