JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service
PHAGWARA: Ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith, the holy city of Sultanpur Lodhi will be painted white.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal September 5 launched this party’s initiative.
The SAD president painted white a part of the wall of a gurdwara opposite Gurdwara Shri Ber Sahab along with Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
The ‘bhog’ ceremony of the Akhand Path, organised by SAD patron and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Gurdwara Ber Sahib preceded it.
On this occasion, the Sant Samaj and the Sikh Sangat unanimously entrusted the ‘seva’ for whitening of the holy city to SAD.
Talking to newsmen after launching the whitening mission, the SAD president appealed to the Sangat to come forward to engage in ‘seva’ both by making contributions as well as physically helping in the cause.
Sukhbir Badal disclosed that the entire city would be given a facelift and the project of white-painting would be completed in one-and-a-half months.
It may be mentioned that Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary falls on November 12 this year.
Badal said as much as 1.5 lakh liters of paint would be used to paint around 3,700 houses as well as religious places, educational institutions and government offices.
He said one crore square feet area would be painted in the city.
Urging the Sangat to unite to make this holy city a white city, Badal said SAD workers would also come in ‘Jathas’ to the city to participate in the whitening mission. He said a five-member coordination committee comprising Bibi Upinderjit Kaur, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Jathedar Tota Singh, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and N.K. Sharma was set up in this regard.
Earlier, while addressing the congregation after completion of the bhog ceremony, Parkash Singh Badal said Sri Nanak Dev spread the message of humanity.
Underlining the paramount need of spreading Guru Nanak’s message across the world in today’s troubled times, he requested the Sant Samaj, SGPC and SAD to contribute towards this goal.
Badal also pleaded that Guru Nanak’s teachings should be spread amongst the young generation through religious education, adding the SGPC should play a pivotal role to make this possible.
Former minister Bibi Upinderjit Kaur said the SAD has undertaken the ‘seva’ to paint Sri Anandpur Sahab white in 1999 on the tri-centenary of the birth of the Khalsa.
Besides the coordination committee members, others present on the occasion included Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Jarnail Singh Wahid, Sant Harnam Singh Dhumma, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, and Sant Balbir Singh Ghunas.
