VARANASI: Ganga Seva Nidhi opened its Kartik month Akashdeep observance at Dashashwamedh Ghat on Tuesday evening, October 27, 2026, with lamps dedicated to members of the armed forces and security services who died in service. The ceremony brings a continuing evening remembrance programme to the riverfront for residents and visitors during the month.
Accounts of the opening ceremony published on October 27 identify the same organiser, venue and purpose. The Nidhi's own programme page confirms that it lights Akashdeep through Kartik in remembrance of fallen personnel, adapting the older practice of offering lamps in memory of ancestors.
A remembrance programme at Dashashwamedh
The opening included Ganapati Vandana and patriotic songs, followed by a tribute to the organisation's late founder, Pandit Satyendra Mishra. Mayor Ashok Tiwari attended as chief guest, while Annapurna Math temple mahant Shankar Puri was also present. Brigadier Umesh A Parab of 39 Gorkha Training Centre presided over the programme, according to the matching ceremony accounts.
The organisation has linked the observance to military remembrance since 1999, following the Kargil war. This year's opening marked 27 years of that initiative. The Nidhi describes its wider remembrance work as a civilian tribute supported by participation from the armed forces.
Among those remembered this year are Shashikant Singh of the Central Reserve Police Force's 95th Battalion and Sunil Kumar of its 183rd Battalion. The programme also honours personnel from the Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force and police.
Representatives at the opening included CRPF commandant Rajeshwar Balapurkar, Group Captain Sachit Sood and NDRF commanding officer Anup Singh Bisht. Their attendance was recorded in both accounts of the ceremony. The event combined lamp lighting, remembrance and a cultural programme at the ghat.
What the organiser confirms about the observance
On its official Rastra Seva and Akashdeep page, Ganga Seva Nidhi explains that the lamps are offered throughout Kartik. It presents the practice as an extension of the traditional remembrance of ancestors to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. That explanation is the organisation's account of the religious meaning of the ceremony.
- Opening ceremony: Tuesday evening, October 27, 2026, IST.
- Venue: Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi.
- Organiser: Ganga Seva Nidhi.
- Observance: Akashdeep lamps through Kartik in remembrance of fallen personnel.
- Next announced milestone: Bhagirath Shaurya Samman during the Dev Deepawali programme on November 24.
The ceremony accounts say the November 24 programme will also include financial assistance for bereaved families. They do not specify an assistance amount. The Nidhi's separate Bhagirath Shaurya Samman page confirms the organisation's continuing role in presenting that honour to commemorate fallen defence personnel.
The Akashdeep opening should be distinguished from the organisation's regular Ganga Aarti. Its official aarti description says that worship takes place every morning and evening and begins with an appeal for environmental protection. The October 27 development concerns the start of the Kartik remembrance observance, rather than the introduction of the daily aarti.
The Nidhi's history page also describes work to discourage the disposal of flowers, garlands and other waste in the Ganga and to clear silt left after floods. Those activities provide context for an organisation whose riverfront programme includes both worship and upkeep of the ghat.
For other recent local riverfront and cultural reporting, see the ghat silt clearing report, Ramnagar's coronation tableau and the Lat Bhairav Ramlila coronation at Visheshwarganj. Each concerns a separate event or activity in Varanasi.
