Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU Jan 19: Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana today urged Governor N. N Vohra to declare holiday on Basant Panchmi in the Jammu Province.
In a statement, Mr Rana said that the festival marking the onset of spring has a special significance in Jammu where thousands of people throng Mathwar Temple to pay obeisance to Baba Ballo, a spiritual saint and a social reformer.
“It will go a long way to meet the long pending demand of the devout, who throng from various parts of the Jammu region to Mathwar to seek blessings of the spiritual saint”, Mr Rana said and hoped that the Government will take a considerate view and declare holiday on this auspicious occasion, which is being celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety.
Mr Rana said that a local holiday used to be declared to mark the occasion but since the festival has relevance beyond Jammu district, it is imperative to have holiday in the entire Jammu Province. He said the occasion also reflects the pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir, as people belonging to various shades of life celebrate Basant Panchmi with traditional fervour. “Therefore, it is all the more important to declare holiday on this day to enable people observe the festival in a big way”, he stressed.
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