‘Baazaru sanskriti’: Murli Manohar Joshi slams ‘DJ event’ at Badrinath

Bharatiya Janta Party stalwart Murli Manohar Joshi has criticised the organisation of a cultural festival in Uttarakhand's Badrinath, that featured music events, saying such programmes violate the cultural decorum of the holy shrine.

Joshi urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to ban such events and uphold the sanctity of "Devbhoomi".

According to media reports, a two-day Devbhoomi Cultural Festival was organised in Badrinath town in Chamoli district on the theme "Culture is Our Heritage, Our Future".

In a post in Hindi on X, Joshi said: "Granting permission for a music concert, a DJ event at Badrinath Dham is not only a violation of cultural decorum but also a direct assault on the sanctity of the holy shrine."

The former BJP president said Adi Guru Shankaracharya had established Badrinath Dham amid the Himalayan environment for the peaceful singing of hymns and devotion to the divine.

"It is noteworthy that even blowing a conch shell is prohibited at this location; yet, disregarding this, we organise loud musical events, blatantly disregarding Indian spiritual, cultural and environmental values, while also ignoring the adverse health effects caused by thousands of people dancing at such high altitudes," he said.

'Baazaru sanskriti' taking root in Devbhoomi

Joshi said such events indicated that a "baazaru sanskriti" (a culture driven by commercialism) was taking root in "Devbhoomi".

He called on the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to take steps to preserve the sanctity of the region and ban such events.

The veteran BJP leader also appealed to followers of Indian culture, particularly shankaracharyas and mahatmas, to raise an "effective voice" against what he described as the "erosion of culture".

"The Himalayas are divine, the abode of Lord Shankar and the source of Mother Ganga. Turning them into a hub of nightlife and revelry deals a severe blow to the faith of millions of Indians," he said.