KATRA, Oct 9: The much-awaited All India Devotional Song Competition, a major attraction of the Navratra Festival, is set to return to Katra with renewed grandeur after a gap of two years, with renowned film personalities and singers from the Indian film industry expected to participate in the nine-day event.
The 25th edition of the competition, marking its Silver Jubilee, is being organised by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, and PTC Network. Preparations for the mega event were reviewed at a meeting of the competition committee held here on Friday under the chairmanship of Rakesh Wazir, Chairman of the All India Devotional Song Competition Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, Wazir said the Silver Jubilee edition held special significance and would be organised on a grand scale to celebrate the longstanding tradition of devotional music associated with the Navratra Festival. He informed that prominent film personalities and renowned singers would participate on different days, serving as judges and presenting live performances for devotees and music lovers.
Wazir announced that auditions would be conducted from October 11 to 16. Interested participants can register at the Tourist Office, Katra, or contact 01991-233301, 01991-233302 and 01991-232005. Registrations can also be made through WhatsApp at 9541900412.
The competition offers an attractive first prize of Rs 3 lakh along with a recording contract with Venus Records & Tapes Ltd., providing talented singers an opportunity to gain wider recognition and advance their musical careers.
Explaining the competition format, Wazir said the second- and third-position holders from the preliminary rounds would compete in the quarter-final on October 17. The first-position holders of the daily competitions would then compete alongside the quarter-final winners in the semi-final on October 18. Successful contestants would advance to the Mega Final scheduled for October 19 at Yog Ashram Airstrip.
He added that the repetition of devotional songs would not be permitted during the quarter-final and semi-final rounds, while the restriction would not apply to the Mega Final.
During the meeting, several committees were constituted to oversee different aspects of the competition.
The Reception Committee will be headed by Shyam Lal Kesar as President, Virender Kesar as Chairman and Govind Magotra as Co-Chairman. Swami Yoganand Maharaj and Kirti Khajuria will finalise the proposed names of judges for submission to the Additional CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for approval.
The committee for facilitating and managing auditions will have Subash Chander as President and Gopal Singh as Chairman. The Media Facilitation and Management Committee will be headed by Rakesh Sharma as President, Arun Kumar as Chairman and Amit Sharma as Co-Chairman.
Chander Shekher will head the Designing and Publicity Committee as President. The committee responsible for stage settings, seating arrangements and supervision will have Sardari Lal Dubey as President, Neeraj Jamwal as Chairman and Rakesh Charak as Co-Chairman.
The committee for accommodation of media personnel and visiting singers will be headed by Virender Kesar as Chairman and Shyam Lal Kesar as Co-Chairman. A separate committee for taking immediate major decisions was also constituted under the chairmanship of Rakesh Wazir, with the presidents and chairmen of all sub-committees as members.
Wazir informed that the competition would be telecast live on PTC Punjabi Gold from October 11 to 19, beginning at 9 PM daily. The inaugural programme on October 11 will commence at 7 PM and will also be telecast live from that time. Renowned film singer Amrinder Bobby and winners of the Mega Final will perform on the opening day.
The event’s radio partnership has been assigned to 92.7 Big FM, further extending its reach among audiences.
The meeting was attended by Swami Yoganand Maharaj, Kirti Khajuria, Gopal Singh, Shyam Lal Kesar, Virender Kesar, Rakesh Sharma, Angrez Singh, Ajay Kotwal, Sanjeev Singh, Ajay Kumar, Subhash Chander and others.
With its Silver Jubilee edition, the All India Devotional Song Competition is expected to provide a prominent platform for devotional singers while adding to the spiritual and cultural atmosphere of the Navratra Festival in Katra.