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Uttarakhand schools begin week-long Harela celebrations from July 16.
Harela, a festival native to the state of Uttarakhand sees people strengthening their bond with nature and their culture. While the state will be celebrating Harela for a month, the government schools will celebrate it for a week July 16 onwards. Students will be encouraged to plant thousands
S P Khali, chief education officer (CEO), Dehradun said, "Besides the government, the state education department on directions from secretary, school education, D Senthil Pandiyan is geared up for the Harela festival to be celebrated in schools for a week from July 16 onwards. The horticulture/forest department will be providing the seeds/saplings and we will encourage that our students plant thousands of saplings and make our state even greener."
"After their morning prayers, students will be asked to speak about environment conservation and need for afforestation. They will also plant saplings in their schools and surroundings. There will also be competitions based on painting, essay writing, poetry all on the theme of environment protection and the need to preserve local culture. We want our students to grow up as environment-conscious citizens and spread the message of ecological conservation and be proud of their cultural heritage," he added.
Harela festival is a special festival native to the state of Uttarakhand which promotes the importance of environment and the need for its conservation. It is viewed as a time when people strengthen their bond with nature and the state's cultural heritage. The centuries-old festival will be celebrated across the state for over a month till August 16, but state-owned schools will celebrate it for a week in the beginning of the festival, even though celebrations might continue in phases after that.
"This festival is exclusive to our state and I think there is no end to acknowledge nature and its benefits. We actively participate in the festivities every year and in school competitions and are very excited for it this time as well," said Shivani Bhatnagar, a government school student.
Chief minister Harish Rawat had recently announced that traditional festivals like Harela, Jhumelo and Ghee Sangrand will be celebrated in a big way with month-long celebrations and there will be coordination between cultural, forest, horticulture and education department to make these festivities a success.
Image Courtesy: swajaluttarakhand.blogspot.in