Mumbai: Mariyan Asif Siddiqui, a Muslim girl, has won first prize in an inter-school Bhagwad Gita competition. The 12-year-old Class VI student of Cosmopolitan High School won the ‘Gita Champions League’ contest for explaining the teachings of the scripture in the best possible manner. Around 3,000 students participated in the event, which was organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in January.
Earlier this month, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that government will introduce teaching of Bhagavad Gita in schools across the state from coming academic session. In December 2014, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of presenting the Bhagavad Gita to world leaders, saying it elevated the holy book to the status of a national scripture.
Swaraj proposed the need for a formal announcement that would officially establish the Gita’s status as a national scripture. The Gita, believed to be the divine advice of Lord Krishna, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is a part of the epic Mahabharata. Its call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the independence movement, including Mahatma Gandhi who referred to the Gita as his “spiritual dictionary”.
Bureau Report
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