Ahead of Assembly polls, political sparring intensified over the forthcoming five-lakh-voice Gita chanting event at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. A strikingly different scene has played out at Mayapur in Nadia. While opposition parties accused the BJP and its affiliates of “political polarisation” through the 7 December programme —highlighting the participation of RSS-leaning Hindu monks and saffron leaders, including Sadhvi Rithambara, ISKCON’s global headquarters has witnessed an unprecedented surge of visitors during its own Gita Jayanti celebrations.
This year, ISKCON observed Gita Jayanti from 25 November to 1 December, drawing what authorities describe as the highest footfall in recent memory. Around 10,000 youths officially registered for the festival, travelling from across India, while an estimated three lakh visitors arrived in Mayapur over six days—far beyond the organisers’ expectations.
Tourists and devotees alike thronged the sprawling temple township not only to witness the Gita Yajna but also to attend a packed schedule of cultural programmes, including devotional music, traditional performances and spiritual discourses. Many were also able to view the under-construction temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), which has become an attraction in itself.
ISKCON PRO Rasik Gouranga Das said the event has now evolved into a global festival of growing significance. “Gita Jayanti is no longer limited to India. Representatives from nearly every Indian state and from countries like the US, Russia, Spain, France and Germany attended this year’s celebrations. Most had registered months in advance. Yet the walk-in turnout far exceeded our estimates, with nearly three lakh people visiting over six days,” he said.
Amid the political criticism surrounding the Brigade event, Swami Pradiptananda Maharaj, popularly known as Kartik Maharaj, chief of Bharat Sevashram Sangha Beldanga, defended the mass chanting initiative. He argued that those attaching political motives to Gita recitations “do not understand the essence of the Gita”. “From Brigade itself, a message went out two years ago. Gita chanting is synonymous with Hindu awakening. Its timeless message has protected Hindus for centuries, teaching both the art of survival and the courage to fight injustice,” he said. With the onset of winter holidays adding to the travel rush, ISKCON officials say that a vast number of non-devotee tourists joined the festivities this year. All eyes now turn to the 7 December, mega-chanting event at Brigade, expected to draw an unprecedented crowd.
Apart from firebrand RSS leader Rithambara, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Vrindavan’s Swami Gyanananda and Bageshwar Dham’s Dhirendrakrishna Shastri are among the prominent religious figures slated to participate on 7 December chanting at Brigade parade ground.