Waseem Ajaz
As the entire nation coalesced to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav for commemorating the glorious 75 years of India’s independence, The Indian Army, in consonance with the national mission of the Prime Minister to carry out an intensive country wide campaign to focus on citizen participation at a local level that would add up to significant national gains, organised a national integration festival named Jashn-e-Azadi with pomp and show from 09 to 15 August 2021 in the pristine and scenic Gurez valley of district Bandipora. The event was attended by famous celebrities like Mateena Rajput.
This event is being eulogized as the Jashn-e-Gurez 2.0 which was celebrated by the Army after a long gap of two years, primarily due to the COVID restrictions. The primary aim of the festival was to reinvigorate the energy, enthusiasm and pride of the Awam towards the nation and to promote the rich and varied cultural heritage of Gurez in order to attract more tourists to this serene and scenic valley. The festival also aimed at catalyzing the socio-economic development of Gurez by skilling and guiding the local youth towards sustainable avenues of self-employment through tourism.
The festival commenced on 09 Aug with the flagging off of the Jashn-e-Azadi trek to Patalwan Lakes. The initiative aimed at exploring the unexplored treks of the Gurez valley. During the week-long festival, various inter village and inter school games and competition such as cricket, carom, quiz, mini marathon, walkathon and Badminton for ladies were conducted to address all sections of the society. Highlight of the event was the traditional pony race which is an inherent part of the Gurezi culture and is a highly acclaimed and participated event.
The grand finale of Jashn-e-Azadi was conducted on 15th Aug at the Dawar Helipad where a colorful event comprising of a Gurez mela, para gliding display and cultural shows were showcased to the world in a “For the people By the Army event.”