Pushkar Singh Dhami Declares Neem Karoli Baba Biopic 'Hanuman Ansh' Tax-Free In Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami declared the newly released devotional film "Hanuman Ansh" tax-free across the state on Friday, following a screening at a cinema hall in Dehradun. Dhami watched the film alongside his wife, Geeta Dhami, and cabinet colleagues Ganesh Joshi and Pradeep Batra, along with several state legislators. Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, the film is based on the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba and has emerged as one of the surprise box-office successes of the year despite a modest theatrical opening in August.

Praising the film's message, Dhami said India's saintly traditions had long shown society "the path of truth, compassion and spirituality." He commended director Vishal Chaturvedi and lead actor Shobhinaw Satyaa, who portrays Neem Karoli Baba in the film, for bringing the saint's teachings to younger audiences. "Such films connect our cultural inheritance and Sanatan values with the next generation," Dhami said, adding that the film also highlighted the significance of Kainchi Dham, a Uttarakhand spiritual site associated with Neem Karoli Baba that has drawn global attention in recent years. The film follows a grieving young man named Lakshminarayan who, after his mother's death, undertakes a spiritual journey across North India before transforming into the revered saint.

Separately, Uttarakhand had reason to celebrate on the national stage over the weekend, as two of its educators were honored at the National Teachers' Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Teachers' Day. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to Manisha Nigam of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal Central University and to Gabar Singh Bisht, a headteacher from Pauri district, marking a significant recognition for the state's education sector.

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Nigam was among 21 educators selected nationwide by the Education Ministry's higher education department for the honor, reflecting her contributions to teaching at the university level. Bisht, meanwhile, was Uttarakhand's sole awardee in the school education category. He has served at the Government Upper Primary School in Musyakhanda since 2003, where he has been noted for using inventive teaching methods to make mathematics and science more accessible to students in a remote classroom setting.

The National Teachers' Awards are conferred annually on September 5 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, honoring educators across school and higher education institutions for their contributions to improving the quality of education in India. The dual recognition — one for a state government's cultural initiative and the other for its educators' national achievement — underscored a notable few days for Uttarakhand across both the entertainment and education spheres.

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