UP govt to organise cultural programmes to mark Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birth centenary

Lucknow, Dec 24 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government will organise various cultural programmes across the state to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25, an official statement said.

According to the statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to unveil 65-foot-tall bronze statues of Vajpayee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at the newly developed Rashtriya Prerna Sthal here.

More than Rs 21 crore has been spent on the construction of the statues at the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal, which also houses a museum highlighting key milestones from the lives of the three leaders, officials informed.

The statement also said that the Department of Culture will organise special performances at the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal and in districts associated with Vajpayee's life, including Lucknow, Agra's Bateshwar, Balrampur and Sitapur.

Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said the 100th birth anniversary is being observed as an occasion to connect people with the values of nationalism, culture and public service.

He further said that folk traditions would resonate across the state on Atal Jayanti.

The programmes will feature poetry recitals, folk and Sufi music, puppetry, shehnai, Alha singing and traditional dance forms, the statement added. PTI CDN OZ OZ