SINDHU DARSHAN

The Sindhu Darshan Festival, as the name suggests, is a celebration of River Sindhu, also known as the Indus. Last year, the Festival was organised from 6-8 June, 2000 at Shey livened up by the presence of a wide variety of cultural troupes from various corners of India. Troupes from States where the mighty Rivers of India run, brought with them water from those rivers in earthen pots and immersed the pots in the Indus, thereby mingling the waters from all over India with that of the mighty ‘Indus’, the river that gave India its name. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Sindhu Cultural Center last year and also inaugurated the new office complex of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. This complex will be helpful in bringing out the unique culture of Ladakh region and its people. The facilities proposed at the complex include an auditorium for seating 500 people, an open air theatre, an exhibition gallery, a music room, a small library and a souvenir shop where Ladakh handicrafts could be available to visiting tourists.

The Sindhu Darshan Festival aims at projecting the Sindhu as a symbol of multi-dimensional cultural identity, communal harmony and peaceful co-existence in India. Whilst promoting tourism to this area, this festival is also a symbolic salute to the brave soldiers of India who have bravely fought the odds at Siachin, Kargil & other places. The Sindhu Darshan Festival will help forge a bond of unity with those who live in far flung corners of the country and provide an opportunity to visit the beautiful region of Ladakh. As a National Integration Program, the festival was welcomed by the Ladakh Buddhist Association, Shia Majilis, Sunni Anjumam, Christian Moravian Church, Hindu Trust and Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee. The three day programme will be inaugurated on June 1, 2001 at Shey is being organized by the Government of Jammu and of Kashmir with the support of Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Govt. of India. The festival promises a kaleidoscope of Indian culture and an exciting array of performing arts being brought together at an exciting place. Indian Airlines is expected to operate special flights for the festival.

The Sindhu Darshan Festival is organised annually at Leh. The first time when this Festival was organised in October 1997, over seventy people from all over India had travelled to Leh for a Darshan and Puja of the River Sindhu (Indus) which originates from the Mansarovar in Tibet.