Mumbai : The saffron outfit ruling Maharashtra is attracted to something in Communist China — the ‘holy water’ from Mansarovar. A high-level delegation from the state led by Amruta Fadnavis, wife of CM Devendra Fadnavis, will fetch water from Kailas Mansarovar and bring it back it to Nashik, which is hosting the Kumbh Mela.
A state struggling with a near-drought situation, law and order issues, political agitation and controversies over posting and transfer of senior police officers, deems this the right time for a ‘spiritual’ sojourn to faraway China.
The 13-member delegation, including actor Makarand Anaspure, shooter Anjali Bhagwat and a group of social activists, will soon leave for Kailash Mansarovar following an invitation by Chinese Consulate General and Observers Research Foundation. The trip — from September 12 to 17 — is supported by the external affairs ministries of both the countries and the Maharashtra government.
Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde who has been in the news struggling to justify the sudden promotion and transfer of Mumbai top cop Rakesh Maria, will also be a part of the delegation. “The chief minister was to head the delegation as per the initial plan. But he asked me to lead the delegation as he is in Japan. It’s an important trip due to its significance from a religious as well as cultural point of view,” said Shinde.
Along with Amruta Fadnavis and Shinde, Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman, ORF; Vijay Bhatkar, renowned computer scientist, and Popatrao Pawar, a renowned activist from Maharashtra, are also part of the trip.
In a letter addressed to Shinde, Zheng Xiyuan – the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai said: “I believe this novel initiative in cultural diplomacy will create a lot of goodwill between people of China and India, and create a new significant milestone in 21st century China-India relations.”
According to Shinde, the people chosen to join the pilgrimage are known for doing extraordinary work in their respective fields. “The idea was to make it as inclusive as possible. That is the reason why we have chosen so many people to join us,” he said, adding that this will mark the beginning of better co-ordination between both the countries on the cultural front and will enhance tourism ties.
Pandurang Mhaske
