NEW DELHI: A host of luminaries of Uttarakhand drawn from different fields- like lyricist Prasoon Joshi, mountaineer Bachendri Pal, Canadian politician Murarilal Thapliyal and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni- have joined hands to revive Igaas or Buud Diwali, a festival that was celebrated in earlier decades in the hill state 11 days after Diwali but has faded from public consciousness in recent years.Baluni has taken the initiative to host this festival in his village Nakot in Pauri district and as the word spread, Joshi and Pal announced they too will celebrate Ekadashi Diwali this time in their village. Army Chief Bipin Rawat and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval , who also hail from Uttarakhand, are also expected to celebrate the festival in their village.“In the hills, it is believed that the news of Lord Ram ’s return from 14 year exile reached 11 days late as the mountains are not easily accessible. The people therefore celebrated Diwali on Ekadashi, 11 days after Diwali is celebrated in the rest of the country. This came to be known as Igaas or Buud Diwali,” Baluni said. With the passage of time, people in Uttarakhand began celebrating Diwali on the day the rest of the country celebrates it and Igaas or Buud Diwali declined.The natives of Uttarakhand now feel this Little Tradition should be revived as it is a part of their culture. With Diwali falling on October 27 this year, Igaas will be celebrated in Uttarakhand on November 8, eleven days after the festival. The move has been given a slogan too - “Abki Igaas, Apne Gaon (This Igaas in our village)”.Prasoon Joshi hails from Almora district while Bachendri Pal is from Uttarkashi. Three cabinet ministers of the Trivendra Rawat government in Uttarakhand have also announced that they will celebrate this festival. Uttarakhand folk singer Gajendra Rana has appealed to people from the state to celebrate Igaas Diwali in their village. Joshi and Rana have put their appeals on Facebook and social media to reach out to more people from the state.Along with the usual celebrations like lighting of candles and lamps, people sing some local songs that are related specifically to Igaas Diwali. As part of his efforts to propagate the idea, Baluni had recently invited Delhi BJP Chief and Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tiwari to his house in Lutyens Delhi. Baluni later put out a Facebook post where Tiwari is singing one of the festival songs.This message is not confined to Uttarakhand natives living in India alone but has caught the attention of Indian diaspora as well. Murarilal Thapliyal, a Canadian Conservative Party politician of Indian origin whose ancestors hail from Uttarakhand, has declared that he will come down to the state to celebrate this festival in November.With seven weeks to go for the Igaas festival, these celebrities are trying to spread the word among their country cousins to make this festival celebration a success and turn it into an annual affair in the years to come.