NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday participated in a kirtan Darbar organised as a part of a series of events to commemorate 350th martyrdom day of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji.
Addressing the gathering during the Kirtan Darbar organised here at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the sacrifices of these martyrs were not for personal gain but for the welfare of all and for truth and justice. He said that 24 years after Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom, in 1699, the Khalsa was created on the sacred land of Sri Anandpur Sahib. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the tenth Master, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, sacrificed his entire family for the honor of the faith, an unparalleled example in world history.
He said that the spirit of sacrifice runs in our blood, and Punjabis take pride in their glorious heritage. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the purpose of commemorating this great occasion is to spread the philosophy of the ninth Guru Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji throughout the world so that ideals of peace, harmony, and secularism for which Guru ji sacrificed himself may be preserved.
The Chief Minister said that Kirtan darbars will be organized in towns and cities sanctified by Guru sahib’s visits and on November 18, a Kirtan Darbar will be held in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir), followed by a Nagar Kirtan on November 19 in which hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits will participate. He said that on November 20, three Nagar Kirtans will be organized from Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo), Faridkot, and Gurdaspur adding that all these four nagar kirtans will culminate at Sri Anandpur Sahib on November 22. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that from November 23 to 25, large-scale events will take placeat Sri Anandpur Sahib.
National Convener of AAP said that the Punjab government is fortunate to have got the opportunity to organise a series of commemorative events dedicated to the Ninth Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. He said that these events being organised by the Punjab government began today from the national capital on the occasion of Guru sahib’s 350th Martyrdom Anniversary. Arvind Kejriwal said that Mughals had planned to forcibly convert Hindus to Islam, after which Pandits of Kashmir, seeking protection for their faith, came to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji for help.
The National Convener of AAP said that despite several offers from the Mughal emperor, Guru Ji refused to bow before tyranny and chose the path of martyrdom to defend freedom of religion. He said that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was martyred in Delhi in 1675 and is remembered across the world as the first martyr who sacrificed his life for the protection of human rights. Arvind Kejriwal said that the pages of world history are filled with events of austerity, restraint, bravery, sacrifice, and service, yet the sacrifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji for religious freedom and human dignity opened a new chapter unparalleled in human history.