Guru Gobind Singh’s teachings hailed at Birmingham seminar

LONDON :The life and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh were hailed at a seminar organised by the University of Birmingham and the Consulate General of India to mark the 350th birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh guru.

Over 500 people gathered at the university’s Aston Webb building for the seminar on Saturday.

The keynote address was delivered by the former chief justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar. The event was hosted by the university’s Edward Cadbury Centre for Public Understanding of Religion.

Andrew Davies from the centre said, “We are delighted to welcome so many people to the University of Birmingham to celebrate the life of this revered leader of one of the world’s great religions.”

“Guru Gobind Singh was a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher, who made many notable contributions to Sikhism.

He founded the Sikh warrior community, called Khalsa, and introduced five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear all the time.

“He continued the formalisation of the religion and wrote key Sikh texts, but his declaration of the Sikh holy book as his successor ensured the Guru Granth Sahib remains the Sikhs’ guide and is as relevant today as it was in the 17th century.”

Participants at the seminar included Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha in Birmingham, DP Singh of the High Commission of India, London, and Mandeep Kaur, Sikh chaplain to the British armed forces.

India’s consul-general Aman Puri said, “I am particularly pleased that justice Khehar travelled all the way from India for this event and shared his thoughts on the current relevance of Guru’s message for humanity.”