Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday participated in the celebrations of the 400th Parkash Purab (birth anniversary) of 9th Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.
During the two-day-long event, Prime Minister was honored by the Sikh leadership and released a commemorative coin and postage stamp.
Before addressing the historic event, the Prime Minister offered prayers to Guru Teg Bahadur and sat in prayer when 400 Ragis offered Shabad kirtan in front of the Red Fort.
Later, speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that India is indebted to Sikh Gurus for saving it from the tyrannical thinking of Mughals and that the country is going ahead as per the teachings of the revered Gurus.
Red Fort event reflects the History and Aspirations of India
Underlining the historical significance of Red Fort, the Prime Minister said that it witnessed the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur and has been a reflection of the history and aspiration of the nation.
He emphasized that India’s freedom from hundreds of years of slavery and India’s independence cannot be separated from its spiritual and cultural journey.
He said that the country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the 400th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur together with identical resolve.
“Our Gurus always took the responsibility of society and culture along with knowledge and spirituality. They made strength a medium of service”, he said.
The Prime Minister said “this land of India is not just a country but it is our great heritage and a great tradition. It has been nourished by our sages, Gurus with hundreds of thousands of years of Tapasya and enrichment of its thoughts.”
Shri Modi said that nearby Gurudwara Sheeshganj Sahib, which is a symbol of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s immortal sacrifice, reminds us of the enormity of Guru Teg Bahadur’s sacrifice.
Guru Tegh Bahadur stood as Hind di Chadar
The Prime Minister recalled the religious fanaticism and the extreme atrocities of those who resorted to violence in the name of religion in that period.
“At that time, great hope for India to save its identity emerged in the form of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. In front of Aurangzeb’s tyrannical thinking, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, stood as ‘Hind di Chadar’, like a rock.”, the Prime Minister said.
The sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur has inspired many generations of India to live and die to protect the dignity of their culture and for its honor and respect.
Big powers have disappeared, big storms have calmed down, but India still stands immortal, moving forward, He added.
Today, Modi stressed, that once again the world is looking toward India with hope and expectation. “We feel blessings of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji everywhere in the aura of “New India”, the Prime Minister said.
Underlining the presence of Guru’s impact and light of their wisdom in every nook and corner of the country, the Prime Minister said Guru Nanak Dev united the whole country in one thread and that Guru Tegh Bahadur’s followers were everywhere.
Referring to holy Patna Sahib in Patna and Rakabganj Sahib in Delhi, the Prime Minister commented “we see ‘Ek Bharat’ everywhere in the form of the wisdom and blessings of Gurus”.
Government’s effort to celebrate Sikh Heritage
Touching upon the government’s effort to celebrate Sikh heritage the Prime Minister pointed out that last year itself, the government decided to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas on 26th December in memory of the great sacrifice of Sahibzadas.
He said that his government is also making continuous efforts to connect the pilgrimages of Sikh tradition.
“Wait for the Kartarpur Sahib is over and many government schemes are making a pilgrimage to these holy places easy and accessible”, he said.
“Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, a pilgrimage circuit is coming up comprising many prominent places including Anandpur Sahib and Amritsar Sahib. Ropeway’s work is progressing at Hemkunt Sahib”, he added.
Bowing to the glory of Guru Granth Sahib, Modi said “Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, for us, is a guide of self-realization as well as a living form of India’s diversity and unity”.
“Therefore, the government left no stone unturned when crisis arose in Afghanistan and the Holy ‘Swaroop’ of Guru Granth Sahib was brought with all the respect.”
He also said that by Citizenship Amendment Act, the path to citizenship for Sikhs and minorities coming from neighboring counties has been cleared.
India has never threatened any Country
Speaking about the philosophical core of India, the Prime Minister said “India has never posed a threat to any country or society”.
He added that “even today we think for the welfare of the whole world. When we talk about self-reliant India, we keep the progress of the whole world at the forefront”.
Recalling the great Sikh tradition given by the Gurus, he said that today India strives for peace with complete stability even in the midst of global conflicts, and India is equally firm in its defense and security.
“The Gurus put forward new ideas by putting aside the old stereotypes. Their disciples adopted them and learned from them. This social campaign of the new thinking was an innovation at the level of thinking”, he said
The Prime Minister continued, “new thinking, continuous hard work, and 100% dedication, this is the identity of our Sikh society even today”.
“This is the resolve of the country today in the time of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. We have to be proud of our identity. We have to be proud of the local, we have to build a self-reliant India”, he said further.
Guru was killed for standing up for Kashmiri Pandits
It may be noted that on April 21, 2022, Home Minister Amit Shah had also participated in the first day of celebration of the 400th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at the Red Fort.
Addressing the occasion, the Home Minister said that Guru Tegh Bahadur stood out from an early age for his qualities of sacrifice and valor.
He said that because the Guru was martyred for standing up against the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits, he is respected as Hind di Chaddar all over the world.
Saying that the nation truly stands indebted to the great Sikh Gurus, he added that it is the good fortune of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to witness during his tenure the milestone commemorations of three Sikh Gurus ie 550th Parkash parv of Guru Nanak Devji, 400th Parkash Utsav of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and 350th Parkash parv of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
He said that the Culture Ministry under the guidance of the Prime Minister has left no stone unturned to celebrate these with great fervor and take the message of sacrifice, valor, and equality given by Sikh Gurus all over the world.
The Red Fort program to commemorate the 400th Prakash Purab or birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur was organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
Who was Guru Tegh Bahadur?
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the 9th Sikh Guru. He was popularly known as ‘Hind di Chaddar’ and Jagat Guru. He was the grandson of the 5th Sikh Guru Arjan Dev.
According to some Sikh and Brahmanical narratives, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was killed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb for supporting the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits.
However, this narrative has been vehemently disputed by historians and modern Sikh sources who see political angles and internal conspiracy in the death of the Guru.
Nevertheless, his death anniversary is commemorated as Shaheedi Divas every year on the 24th of November.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in Delhi are associated with his alleged execution by Mughal authorities.
Sikh sources say that from the time of his youth, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji had a deeply meditative nature where his wife was also an active participant.
Further, like the first five Sikh Gurus, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur had mystical experiences of the Shabad and shared his experiences through the medium of songs.
And like the first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev, he also traveled far and wide across India establishing new communities and nurturing existing communities.