PNS | UTTARKASHI
Tributes were paid to mountaineer Savita Kanswal on the second day of the Ghasyari Utsav at Matholi village in the district. On International Women’s Day on Saturday, tributes were paid to Kanswal who had died while descending from the Draupadi Ka Danda peak in 2022. She had also played an important part in the Ghasyari Utsav in 2022 which enabled the event organisers to succeed in encouraging women empowerment and local tourism.
Grass cutting competitions, traditional sports, storytelling events, Garhwali folk dances and songs were performed during the Ghasyari festival. Local artisans and entrepreneurs also displayed their products at the event. The event has been given a larger form this year with the assistance of the State’s Tourism department.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Ghasyari Utsav was held for the first time in 2022 in the Matholi area of Chinyalisaud block in Uttarkashi district. Since then, this village claims to be the first such spot in Uttarakhand where the festival is organised with complete participation of women in decisive roles, also leading to the preservation of the traditional heritage.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also stated that such celebrations and events play an important role in encouraging pilgrimage and religious tourism. Such events also boost tourism and the local economy. It is pertinent to mention here that Ghasyaris or women who cut fodder in the tough conditions of the mountains are the centre of focus of the Ghasyari Utsav. The State’s native culture, the role of women and new aspects of tourism are among the facets displayed through this event. Further, such events can also play a part in checking the migration from mountainous parts of the State by boosting efforts for facilitating employment generation activities in the rural mountainous areas, observers said.
