Lucknow, September 1: In accordance with the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, preparations are in the final stage to give the Janmashtami festival a grand and divine form in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna. This Janmashtami, Mathura will witness a unique confluence of modern technology with faith and devotion. On this occasion, devotees arriving from across the country and the state will participate in the birth celebrations of Lord Shri Krishna. At the same time, several renowned artists will further enhance the devotional atmosphere with their performances.
Alongside this, for the first time, the birth of Lord Shri Krishna and his various leelas will be brought alive in the sky through 500 drones.
CEO of Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad Lakshmi Nagappan said the drone show will be the main attraction this time and will begin around 9 pm on September 4. The show will continue for approximately one hour. During this time, 500 drones will take flight simultaneously and display scenes related to the birth of Lord Shri Krishna and his leelas through different formations. A special feature of the drone show will be that the formations depicting Krishna Leela in the sky will be visible up to a distance of around 3-4 km around the Janmabhoomi.
This will give a large number of devotees at Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and in the surrounding areas an opportunity to witness this unique event together. Before this, various cultural programs will be organized from September 2 to September 4. All these programs will be held at Panchjanya Auditorium in Dampier Nagar.
Nagappan informed that the program will begin on September 2 at 3 pm with the inauguration and lighting of the ceremonial lamp. This will be followed by Shyam Ji's conch blowing from 3:10 pm to 3:15 pm. From 4:15 pm, Bharat Bhushan will present bhajans, kirtan, and folk singing. From 6:15 pm to 7:40 pm, Geeta Shodh Sansthan and Rasleela Academy, Vrindavan, will present the tableau ‘Mudariya Prem evam Nandotsav’ through songs and dance. This will be followed by a concert-devotional musical presentation by Aarush Verma, Kamla Bairwa, Nishtha Sharma, Raliq Khan and Samrat Kumar Krishna, under the direction of Shruti Anandita Verma, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
He further informed that this presentation will include modern music along with devotional music. On September 3, Devesh Sharma will perform bhajan singing from 4 pm to 5 pm. This will be followed by bhajan jamming by Krishna Sagar Collective from 5 pm to 7 pm. From 6:15 pm to 7:40 pm, Geeta Shodh Sansthan and Rasleela Academy will present the tableau ‘Mudariya Prem evam Nandotsav’ through singing and dance.
Several renowned artists will also perform from 7 pm to 9 pm. These will include a musical presentation by Aarush Verma, Kamla Bairwa, Nishtha Sharma, Raliq Khan, and Samrat Kumar Krishna under the direction of Shruti Anandita Verma. Alongside this, on September 4, from 3 pm to 5 pm, Mohit Shaivani will present ‘Krishnayan-Krishnapriya Wo Jo Kabhi Kaha Nahin Gaya’.
On September 4, Heartfulness Foundation will present from 5 pm to 7 pm. In this, Suniti Mishra will present ‘Krishna: Anant Rang, Anant Bhaav’. This will be followed by Anirban's bhajan and flute performance and Maitreyi Rai's bhajan singing. From 7 pm to 9 pm, a bhajan evening by renowned bhajan singer Kanhaiya Mittal will be organized.
During the three-day event, 5 large and 21 small stages will also be set up in the city. Braj artists will present their folk art and cultural performances on these stages. This will provide local artists an opportunity to showcase their talent and devotees arriving from outside an opportunity to experience the traditional culture of Braj. Besides, food stalls will also be set up for the first time on the premises of Panchjanya Auditorium. This will enable devotees to enjoy various food items along with the cultural programs.
Keeping in view the heavy crowd of devotees, the administration has also made extensive security arrangements. Barricades will be installed at 129 locations in the city, and 24 parking sites will be created so that devotees arriving from outside do not face any inconvenience. To strengthen security arrangements, 16 watchtowers will be set up. Police personnel will monitor crowd movement from these towers.
Alongside, crowded areas and major routes will also be monitored through drone cameras. If crowds increase at any location or suspicious activity is noticed, arrangements will be made to inform police officers immediately.
During Janmashtami, around 350 head constables and constables, along with 50 women constables, will be deployed. Route diversion and a traffic plan will be implemented to regulate traffic arrangements in the city.
