VARANASI: A morning of worship and collective recitation will lead into devotional music at the 43rd Shri Shyam Mahotsav in Durgakund on Sunday, October 25. Shri Shyam Bal Mandal is organising the festival at Mani Mandir, within the Dharmasangh Shiksha Mandal premises.
Organisers have announced a musical Sundarkand recitation involving 501 devotees, a maharas presentation by women from the community and bhajans by visiting singers and local Shyam mandals. Artisans from Kolkata are preparing the Shyam tableau for the occasion.
The organisation’s president, Sanjeev Agrawal, and office-bearer Amit Sharma outlined the programme while speaking to journalists at the venue on Friday, October 23. The announcement sets out three timed morning and afternoon activities, alongside the list of devotional performers.
The mahotsav will be held under the guidance of Dharmasangh Shiksha Mandal secretary Pandit Jagjitan Pandey. Bharat Saraf, president of the Tridev Mandir Sevak Parivar, has been named as chief guest.
Worship begins at 7 am
Rudrabhishek is scheduled for 7 am under the leadership of the organisation’s patron, Suryodaya Shastri. The musical Sundarkand recitation will begin at 9 am, led by Acharya Sanjay Hajari, according to the programme announced by the organisers.
The planned participation of 501 devotees makes the collective recitation a central part of the morning’s schedule. Krishna Kumar Kabra and Neeraj Maharshi are coordinating this section of the festival.
At 12.30 pm, women from the community are scheduled to present maharas. The sequence places the presentation after the start of the collective recitation, bringing worship, recitation and community participation into the same day’s programme.
Singers from Jaipur, Kolkata and Mumbai
The visiting bhajan performers include Dada Kumar Narendra and Abhishek Nama from Jaipur, Sanju Sharma from Kolkata and Rohit Sharma from Mumbai. Local Shyam mandals will also take part, giving the programme both visiting performers and participation from Varanasi’s devotional groups.
Individual performance times for the singers were not included in the announcement. Those planning to attend for a particular artist should check the running order with Shri Shyam Bal Mandal rather than treat the list of names as a stage schedule.
Pradeep Tulsyan, Omkarnath Maheshwari, Kamal Agrawal and Purushottam Jalan have been named among the reception organisers. Their roles are separate from the coordination of the Sundarkand recitation.
The festival is scheduled for October 25, not October 24. Visitors should keep that date in view when planning around the announced 7 am, 9 am and 12.30 pm activities at Mani Mandir. Any changes to the programme or entry arrangements should be confirmed with the organising body before travelling.
