 Early Times Report
KATRA, Oct 9: A meeting of the Navratra Festival's All India Devotional Song Competition Committee, organised by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, J&K Tourism and PTC Network, was held here today under the chairmanship of Rakesh Wazir, Chairman of the Competition Committee, to review and finalise preparations for the mega event.
Speaking on the occasion, Rakesh Wazir said that this year's competition assumes special significance as it marks the 25th edition - the Silver Jubilee - of the All India Devotional Song Competition. He said that keeping in view this milestone, the competition would be organised with even greater grandeur and fanfare.
Wazir informed that top film personalities and renowned singers from the Indian film industry will participate in the competition on different days. Besides performing their responsibilities as judges, several of these personalities will also give live performances during the event.
The auditions will be held from October 11 to 16, and interested participants can register at the Tourist Office, Katra, or through telephone numbers 01991-233301,02 and 01991-232005. Or WhatsApp at 9541900412.
Elaborating on the format, Wazir said that the first prize will carry a cash award of Rs 3 lakh along with a recording contract with Venus Records & Tapes Ltd.
He said the qualifying rounds have been structured in a manner that provides contestants multiple opportunities to demonstrate their talent. The second and third position holders of the preliminary rounds will compete in the Quarter-Final on October 17. The first-position holders of the daily competitions will compete with the Quarter-Final winners in the Semi-Final on October 18, with the successful contestants qualifying for the Mega Final to be held on October 19 at Yog Ashram Airstrip.
He added that, except for the Mega Final, repetition of devotional songs will not be permitted during the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final rounds.
During the meeting, various committees were constituted for the smooth and successful conduct of the competition.
The Reception Committee will have Shyam Lal Kesar as President, Virender Kesar as Chairman and Govind Magotra as Co-Chairman.
The committee for finalising the names of judges, to be submitted to the Additional CEO, SMVD Shrine Board, for final approval, will comprise Swami Yoganand Ji Maharaj and Kirti Khajuria .
The committee for facilitation and management of auditions will have Subash Chander as President and Gopal Singh as Chairman. The Media Facilitation and Management Committee will have Rakesh Sharma as President, Arun Kumar as Chairman and Amit Sharma as Co-Chairman.
The Designing and Publicity Committee will be headed by Chander Shekher as President.
The committee 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 persons and outside singers will have Virender Kesar as Chairman and Shyam Lal Kesar as Co-Chairman.
In addition, a Committee for taking immediate major decisions was also constituted, with Rakesh Wazir, Chairman, All India Devotional Song Competition Committee, as its Chairman and the Presidents/Chairmen of all sub-committees of the AIDSC as its members.
Nine-Day Live Telecast Wazir said that competition will be telecast live for all nine days on PTC Punjabi Gold from October 11 to October 19, 2026, from 9:00 PM onwards daily. However inauguration would be done on 11th Oct. 7 PM onwards and live on that would be from 7 PM and renowned Film singer Amrinder Bobby and winners of Mega Final will perform on that day.92.7 Big FM will be the Radio Partner for the event.
The meeting was attended by Swami Yoganand Ji Maharaj, Shri Kirti Khajuria Ji, Gopal Singh, Shyam Lal Kesar, Virender Kesar, Rakesh Sharma, Angrez Singh, Ajay Kotwal, Sanjeev Singh, Ajay Kumar, Subhash Chander, Gopal Singh and others. |
