Nagpur: The much-awaited ‘Khasdar Sanskritik Mahotsav 2025’, conceptualized by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, will commence on November 7 with a grand opening ceremony at Eshwar Deshmukh College of Physical Education Ground, Sports Chowk, Hanuman Nagar, Nagpur. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, now in its 10th edition, will run till November 18, offering Nagpurians a rich blend of spiritual, cultural, musical, and artistic performances by national, international, and local artists.

The inauguration will take place on November 7 at 6:30 pm, in the presence of spiritual leader and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj, and Padma Shri awardee writer-director Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, best known for Chanakya and Samrat Prithviraj. The evening will feature the theatre presentation “Hamare Ram”, starring Ashutosh Rana as Ravana.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the details during a press conference on Friday, accompanied by Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Krishna Khopde, Praveen Datke, Adv. Sulekha Kumbhare, Dr. Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, Dr. Upendra Kothekar, and Dayashankar Tiwari, along with Khasdar Sanskritik Mahotsav Committee President Prof. Anil Sole and other office bearers.

Six Grand Live Concerts to Enthrall Audiences

The Mahotsav will feature six major live music concerts:

• Nov 8: Singer-composer Vishal Mishra
• Nov 12: Popular youth icon Akhil Sachdeva
• Nov 14: Renowned duo Vishal and Rekha Bhardwaj
• Nov 16: Melody queen Shreya Ghoshal
• Nov 17: Legendary musician Shankar Mahadevan, who will also present newly composed patriotic and RSS-inspired songs
• Nov 18: Grand finale with Ajay–Atul, the celebrated Marathi composer duo.

Fusion, Laughter, and Poetry Nights to Add Diversity

The festival will include a variety of cultural events such as:

• Nov 9 – “Fusion” Concert: A blend of classical and contemporary sounds featuring international flautist Ronu Mazumdar, violin maestro Manjunath Mahadevappa, tabla exponent Taufiq Qureshi, Bickram Ghosh, and instrumentalists Sunil Katti, Manish Kulkarni, Atul Raninga, and Sridhar Parthasarathy.
• Nov 11 – “Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra”: A laughter night featuring popular Marathi actors Prajakta Mali, Sai Tamhankar, Prasad Oak, Sameer Choughule, Namrata Sambherao, and Gaurav More.
• Nov 15 – National Hindi Kavi Sammelan: Renowned poets Hariom Pawar, Dinesh Bawra, Sudeep Bhola, Ankita Singh, Tejnarayan Sharma, and Aman Akshar will recite their works.

Programs Celebrating Saint Tradition and Indian Heritage

• Nov 10: “Rashtrasantanchi Jeevangatha” — a grand visual-musical show on the life of Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj, featuring over 2,000 artists.
• Nov 13: Sanskar Bharati’s cultural showcase, “Mitti Ke Rang: Bharat Ki Lok Sanskriti Ki Sangeet Nrityamay Gatha”.
• Nov 15: “Jnaniancha Raja,” presented by Bal Kala Academy with over 400 child performers, celebrating the 750th birth anniversary of Saint Dnyaneshwar.

Mass Gita Recitation and Spiritual Sessions Every Morning

Like every year, the “Jagar Bhakticha” (Awakening of Devotion) initiative will be held daily from Nov 8 to 17, between 7:00 am and 8:30 am. Over 50,000 students from Classes 5 to 12 will collectively chant chapters 12, 15, and 16 of the Bhagavad Gita at one venue, promoting focus, discipline, and value-based education. The Gita Recitation logo was unveiled by Nitin Gadkari.

The spiritual sessions will also include recitations of Shri Ram Raksha Stotra, Maruti Stotra, Shivmahimna Stotra, Ganapati Atharvashirsha, Haripath, Vishnu Sahasranama, Hanuman Chalisa, Sunderkand, Purush Sukt, and Sukta Path, among others.

Free Entry Through QR Passes

To ensure hassle-free access, free entry passes can be obtained by scanning the QR code displayed on advertisements and hoardings, which redirects to www.khasdarmahotsav.com. Visitors can download passes for respective days directly from the website.

Appealing to citizens for active participation, the organizing committee—Prof. Anil Sole (President), Dr. Gaurishankar Parashar, Ashok Mankar, Dilip Jadhav, Jayprakash Gupta, Prof. Rajesh Bagdi, Balasaheb Kulkarni, Haji Abdul Kadir, Sarang Gadkari, Avinash Ghushe, Dr. Deepak Khirwadkar, Sandeep Gawai, Sanjay Gulhane, Renuka Deshkar, Guddu Trivedi, Kishor Patil, Chetan Kayarkar, Ashish Wandile, Bholanath Sahare, Adv. Nitin Telgote, Manisha Kashikar, Vijay Fadnavis, Mahendra Raut, Dilip Gaur, and Shailesh Dhoble—urged Nagpurians to join the festival in large numbers and celebrate the city’s rich cultural spirit.