PUNJAB GOVT TO OBSERVE 350th MARTYRDOM DAY OF SRI GURU TEGH BAHADUR JI WITH GRANDEUR: HARJOT BAINS
•EVENTS TO INCLUDE SPECIAL VIDHAN SABHA SESSION & DRONE SHOWS AT ANADPUR SAHIB, NAGAR KIRTANS, KIRTAN DARBARS, LIGHT & SOUND SHOWS ACROSS PUNJAB
• A tent city to be set up to accommodate over 10K devotees daily; Over 1-CR devotees expected to gather at Sri Anandpur Sahib, says Bains
Chandigarh, October 3 (WISHAVWARTA):-The Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is all set to commemorate the 350th Martyrdom Day of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji with grand events across the country. A series of programs, including Nagar Kirtans, Kirtan Darbars, Light & Sound Show, Drone Shows and major religious gatherings at Sri Anandpur Sahib, will honour the Guru’s legacy of sacrifice and secularism. The events aim to spread the Guru Sahib’s timeless message of secularism, universal brotherhood and sacrifice, promoting harmony and social unity among people of all backgrounds.
After attending the religious panel’s meeting today here at Tourism department’s office, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains, along with Advisor to Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Mr. Deepak Bali, addressed the media.
S. Bains informed that the Punjab Government is organising national-wide observance to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of 9th Guru Sahib, reflecting the profound reverence for the ‘Hind Di Chadar’. The events have been meticulously planned to perpetuate the Guru’s legacy of sacrifice, secularism and human rights. The programs will be started with the four Nagar Kirtans to be commenced from different parts of the country. One will begin from Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir), on November 18 from Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will attend the Nagar Kirtan, while other three will originate from Malwa (Faridkot & Bathinda), and the Majha & Doaba regions. All four processions will converge at Sri Anandpur Sahib on the evening of November 22.
He said that the official commencement of the events will be marked by an Ardaas at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi on October 25, followed by a Kirtan Darbar the same evening at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. The primary celebrations will then shift to Sri Anandpur Sahib from November 23 to 25, where over one crore Sangat is expected to gather from across the globe. A Tent City would be established to accommodate over 10,000 Sangat daily from November 19 to 30. The events here will include an Akhand Path Sahib and Sarb Dharam Samelan (All-Religion Conference), exhibitions and drone shows.
S. Harjot Singh Bains further said that Punjab’s first-ever large-scale Drone Shows depicting the Guru’s life and martyrdom, and a special Nagar Kirtan from Kiratpur Sahib will be organised. A historic session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is also proposed to be held at Sri Anandpur Sahib on November 24. The observances will conclude with a ‘Hukamnama’, ‘Ras Bhina Kirtan’, and a ‘Sarbat da Bhala’ congregation, alongside statewide blood donation camps and a mega plantation drive of 3.50 lakh saplings, besides organising a organ donation pledge event by the Health dept.
Furthermore, from November 1 to 18, all 23 districts of Punjab will host Light and Sound Shows focusing on the lives of the 9th Guru Sahib and his devoted disciples, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Dayala Ji. Kirtan Darbars will also be held at 130 ‘Charan Chhoeh’ holy sites associated with Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji. Major events are also planned for other key cities linked to Guru Ji’s life, including Amritsar, Baba Bakala and Patiala.
He further informed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will lay the foundation stone for a Heritage Street in Anandpur Sahib on October 5 and will hold a meeting with the religious panel to review the preparations for the grand religious events.
The Education Minister emphasised that the events commemorating Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji’s martyrdom aims to inspire people to embrace the values of secularism and humanism. By sacrificing his life to protect the right to freedom of worship, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji set a powerful example of standing up for one’s beliefs and respecting the rights of others. These events would serve as a reminder of the importance of promoting tolerance, harmony and the protection of human rights.
