A months-long celebration of one of India's most revered saint-poets is set to sweep across Madhya Pradesh — and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav is personally flagging it off. On Tuesday, 18 August 2026, the Chief Minister announced he would inaugurate the Samrasta Sankalp Abhiyan (Social Harmony Resolve Campaign) and Kalash Yatra across the state, marking the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Ji.

Three Phases, Every District: How the Campaign Will Unfold

The initiative is structured across three distinct phases spanning nearly three months. From 20 August to 10 September, a Kalash Rath Yatra — a ceremonial chariot procession carrying sacred urns — will travel through every district of Madhya Pradesh. The second phase, running 18 to 31 August, focuses on a Sant Sampark Karyakram, a direct outreach programme connecting communities with saints and religious leaders across the state.

The campaign culminates in the Shri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Samrasta Yatra, a major harmony march scheduled from 5 October to 5 November 2026 — a full month of grassroots mobilisation carrying the saint's message of social equality into every corner of the state.

Who Was Guru Ravidas — and Why 650 Years Matters

Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas was a 15th-century mystic poet, philosopher, and social reformer born in Varanasi, revered across North and Central India — particularly among Dalit communities — for his teachings on human dignity, the rejection of caste hierarchy, and devotion as a path open to all. His verses form part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, cementing his cross-community significance. The 650th birth anniversary is a landmark that carries both spiritual and political weight in states with significant Dalit populations, including Madhya Pradesh.

The term samrasta — social harmony or social cohesion — is central to the campaign's framing, positioning the drive explicitly around the saint's core message of caste-transcending unity.

A State-Wide Mobilisation with Political Resonance

By anchoring a multi-phase, district-level campaign to Guru Ravidas's 650th anniversary, the Madhya Pradesh government is signalling a sustained public engagement — not a single-day observance. The Kalash Rath Yatra format, common to major religious and cultural mobilisations in Central India, ensures visible street-level presence, while the Sant Sampark phase builds institutional linkages with religious communities. Together, the three phases create an unbroken arc of activity from mid-August through early November.

The message from Bhopal is clear: the 650th anniversary of one of India's most beloved saint-reformers will be marked not with a single ceremony, but with a hundred days of movement.