The Jhanda Mela will commence today with the raising of the new sacred flag pole at Shri Darbar Sahib. The fair committee along with devotees will organise a Nagar Parikrama programme on April 1 to celebrate the start of the Jhanda Mela. Stating this, the assistant manager of the Mela committee Vijay Gulati said that the fair will commence on March 30 with religious rituals at Darbar Sahib here. To mark this occasion, the committee will organise the Nagar Parikrama on April 1. The Parikrama will begin at 7:30 AM, traversing through Saharanpur Chowk, Kanwali Road, Bindal, Tilak Road, Ghantaghar and conclude at the Darbar Sahib with bhajan, kirtan and distribution of Parsad, he added. On Saturday, the programme will begin at 7 AM with the bringing down of the holy flag pole. In the afternoon, between 2 PM and 4 PM, the new flag pole will be raised under the guidance of Mahant Devendra Das of Shri Darbar Sahib.   Gulati mentioned that the Jhanda Mela typically lasts for about 20 to 25 days. This year, the Mela will end on April 17. He said that the Chilanee Gilaf cover for the sacred flag pole is always offered by a devotees family. They have to wait for more than 100 years for the opportunity to offer the Gilaf. This year, the family who got the opportunity to offer the Gilaf has waited for 108 years, Gulati added. Further head of the Shri Darbar Sahib, Mahant Devendra Das urged the devotees to adhere to the sanctity of food, behaviour and thoughts, as these are key elements leading to a prosperous life. He stressed that the faith and convictions of devotees serve as the most radiant components of Jhanda Mela. Apart from this, a voluntary blood donation camp was organised by the Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital blood bank. A total of 104 units of blood were collected by Thursday.  

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