The Indian government has announced that it will celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji across the country and has earmarked Rs. 100 crore for events related to the occasion. To kick off the celebrations, Bihar government organised an International Sikh Conclave, the first of it’s kind, in Patna from the 22nd to the 24th of September 2016.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the Sikh Conclave on September 22 and also released a book dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Conclave was attended by eminent Sikh personalities from the country and abroad that included union minister S S Ahluwalia, Uttar Pradesh B R Ramuwalia, former union minister S S Dhindsa, former chairman of National Minorities Commission Tarlochan Singh, Patna Saheb Jathedar Iqbal Singh, Ruby Dhalla, ex MP of House of Commons of Canada, R S Sandhu, and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Licestershire,UK.
Sikh historians and scholars took part in panel discussions the life and philosophy of Guru Gobind Singh.
Dr Gurmeet Singh Sidhu, Head of Guru Gobind Singh Department of Religious Studies, Punjabi University Patiala was also invited to attend this event. He gave us an insight into the function saying that it was one of the biggest and most successful anniversary celebrations that have ever happened and for another state to organise such an event was worth praising.
The conclave celebrated four main aspects of Guru’s life – his contribution towards human rights and fight against injustice; his poetry; his love for humanity and the contribution of Sikhs to the Indian society.
This event is just one of many that will be organised all over the country in the coming few months. Bihar government is organising a 350th Prakash Parv in January 2017 to celebrate the life of the tenth Guru who was aspiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher.
Punjab government and the rest of the country will be organising many other events as well and so will Punjabi University Patiala.
About Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Guru Gobind Singh, born Gobind Rai (22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), was the 10th Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, Guru Gobind Singh was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at age nine, becoming the last of the living Sikh Gurus. His four sons died during his lifetime in Muslim-Sikh wars – two in battle, two executed by the Mughal army.
Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699and introducing the five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times. Guru Gobind Singh also continued the formalisation of the religion, wrote important Sikh texts, and enshrined the scripture the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhism's eternal Guru.
