Jal Shakti Minister launches ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ Season 2, a travelogue series

16th August, New Delhi:  After an overwhelming response to season 1 of ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’, the second season was launched today by Gajendra Singh Shekhwat, Jal Shakti Minister and Anurag Singh Thakur, Information & Broadcasting Minister. Season 1, anchored by noted actor Rajeev Khandelwal with Divya Bhardwaj as creative director, was telecast on Doordashan in 2019. The First season focused on spreading awareness about ecology, heritage and lifestyle associated with Ganga. The show found a huge resonance with the audience, especially the youth, who found the travel series a repository of infotainment on the Ganga. The show received a good review on IMDB rating. 

Launching the series Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jal Shakti Minister said, “The purpose of our program is to inculcate a sense of responsibility towards this holy river in the people. It is a matter of great pleasure that this initiative of ours has yielded very positive results. Since rivers are the medium of our life, it is because of rivers that human existence has been made possible for hundreds of years. Today 40 percent of the country’s population is dependent on the Ganga for their livelihood in one way or the other. A new consciousness of hope and faith has awakened among the countrymen today regarding the conservation, development and ecological balance of rivers. People have become serious about environment conservation. This thought has given impetus to the works of conservation along with uniting the country. It is a matter of pride for us to see the remarkable achievement in the last few years in the cleaning of river Ganga.” Sharing an anecdote from his visit at the World Water Week at Stockholm, he said, “The government’s efforts towards environment conservation are internationally acclaimed.  This has been possible because of the 4 P principle of Honorable Prime Minister. Public participation is an important aspect in the success of any campaign. We have put a lot of emphasis on this. The main reason for the success of every scheme is to make the public a participant in it. That’s why we have implemented the big project as a community plan, in which there is full participation of the public, and they feel a direct connection with this work.”

Congratulating Jal Shakti Ministry for their vision of encouraging public participation as part of the Namami Gange program, Anurag Thakur, Information & Broadcasting Minister said that this initiative will take public participation for Ganga conservation to the n ext level making it a mass movement. Quoting the huge viewership of Ramayan and Mahabharat during the lockdown he said that Doordarshan is known for creating quality content which remains popular even after decades. “’Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ season 1 and season 2 is one such program which has the potential to remain popular for years”, he added.

Reminding the audience that somewhere the mistake is on our part, Prahlad Singh Patel, MoS, Jal Shakti Minister said, “Nature has not done anything wrong but the mischief is done by us only. We always say that change is the law of nature but we forget that reflection (of human action) is also the law of nature.” About the show he wished that season 2 will not just be a successful attempt in public awareness but would also help in developing sectors like tourism and heritage protection. Ganga has always nurtured Indian civilization and Amrit Mahotsav can truly be celebrated with inspiration from Ganga, he said.

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga said “‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ is a very creative and interesting initiative of our mission with Doordarshan in this direction, which has proved to be very effective towards the goal of Ganga conservation and rejuvenation.” He also shared “This time we will not only bring to the fore the importance of tributaries but will also cover new destinations with some special destinations from the previous season.” He also shared that public participation (Jan Ganga) is the core element of the Namami Gange Program and Rag Rag Mein Ganga is part of many initiatives under this vision.  “As the country is celebrating the Amrit festival of freedom this time, we will also apprise the audience about the effective role played during the freedom struggle of historical places situated on the banks of Ganga and Yamuna through ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga Season 2’.”, he added. 

Sharing that while working on the show he has become very spiritual, Actor Rajeev Khandelwal said that we all consider Ganga our mother but forget that mother’s health is equally important. “This season will also be spreading awareness about tributaries, wetlands and other smaller water bodies which make river Ganga.” he said. He shared behind the scene secrets of the show and shared that unlike other shows this is not scripted. It is an organic show where the director just gives an idea. As the anchor, he travels and has conversations with people which organically make the show.  He also shared that he received a call from Sudha Murty praising the show and telling him that she has recommended the show to her son-in-law who is the finance minister in the UK government. She advised her son-in-law to make a similar program on the river Thames. 

Mayank Kumar Agrawal, DG, Doordarshan, shared that the first season had nearly 2 crore viewership. He informed that Doordarshan received many letters requesting for second season from all over the country. Fit. Lt. Rupa Rathour Gaur, Head of Sales, Prasar Bharati gave the vote of thanks. 

After covering some of the majestic locations along the Ganga in the first season, season 2 will cover the journey of some of Ganga’s main tributaries like the Yamuna, Kali, Saryu and the Gandak and showcase the cultural, historical, environmental and socio-economic aspects of the important cities on the banks of these tributaries. The messages of river rejuvenation and water conservation have been interwoven and their importance reflected through the work being done by NMCG, focusing on both Nirmalta and Aviralta. Starting 21st August 2021, the program will be telecast every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30 pm on DD National.