200-yr-old ‘bir’ to be displayed in Dharamshala
THE HANDWRITTEN ‘BIR’ FROM LAHORE IS IN POSSESSION OF TRIBAL GADDI COMMUNITY
AND KEPT IN A HOUSE IN DARNU VILLAGE
DHARAMSHALA:WITH the Sikh community in Dharamshala gearing up to celebrate 550th Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak in a grand and befitting manner, the Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in the hill town is planning to put on display a rare ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib , on the occasion.
The handwritten ‘bir’ from Lahore, which is believed to be 200-250 years old, is in possession of tribal Gaddi community and kept in a house in Darnu village, near Dharamshala.
President of Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha (Dharamshala) Swarnjeet Singh said the Gaddi community had accepted the sabha’s request to display the ‘Puratan Saroop’ during the celebrations.
“The holy Guru Granth Sahib will be taken around the town during the Nagar Kirtan on November 10.
Thereafter, the rare ‘bir’ will be put on display at the Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha at Kotwali Bazaar for two days,” he said. Singh said the holy scripture was brought by a member of a Gaddi family from Lahore in 1847. It was initially kept in a small Gurudwara built in the Darnu village before it was stolen in 2017.
Later, it was recovered from Ludhiana district of Punjab by police and returned to the community. Since then, the holybook has been kept at a home in Darnu village to avoid theft.
Though the tribal community does not follow Sikh religion, their dedication towards the Guru Granth Sahib could be gauged from the fact that they have rejected offers worth crores to sell the holy book.
It is worth mentioning that the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak is being celebrated across the world. Grand events are being organised across the country on November 12.
TEA, LASSI AND FLOWER PETALS
During the walk, the people showered flower petals on the devotees. Langars offered tea, lassi and fruits to devotees undertaking the pilgrimage of various gurdwaras associated with the life of Guru Nanak. The devotees were apprised about the historic importance of the gurdwaras which bear the footprints of Guru Nanak.
Addressing the gathering, Suresh Kumar said that the heritage walk will go a long way in connecting the youth with the life and philosophy of the first Sikh master.
EXHIBITIONS BY TOURISM DEPT
The Punjab tourism department will host an exhibition on the Guru, wherein curators from Panjab digital library, an NGO, will tell the Guru’s story. Devinder Pal Singh, co-founder of the NGO said the theme of the exhibition is ‘Guru Nanak Sahib: Light and Love’.
The exhibition moves from the earliest mentions of Guru Nanak, through time, until present day. Tourism department joint director, Lakhmir Singh said pictures of 70 villages of Punjab linked with the Guru are to be on display at the exhibition.
MULTI-MEDIA SHOW, PUNJABI SINGERS
The government is to host a grand multimedia light and sound show, the first of its kind, at Sultanpur Lodhi from November 4. The 70-minute show will portray the life and teachings of Guru Nanak with the help of digital techniques, and renowned Punjabi will also perform on stage.
The organisers said they have chosen 10 sakhi’s of the Guru’s life from his four divine journeys to be shown via a laser and sound show, wherein 200 artistes will take part.
The light and sound shows will be held from 7 pm to 9.15 pm, from November 4 to 9 and November 13 to 15. In view of the large number of pilgrims on November 10, 11 and 12, the show would be held from 7 pm to 10.30 pm.
Besides the shows, famous Punjabi singers, such as Lakhwinder Wadali, Bhai Hardev Singh Kawishar Harbhajan Mann and Pamma Dummewal will entertain the audience.
Deputy commissioner Kapurthala, DPS Kharbanda said that administration has made adequate arrangements to accommodate more than 5,000 pilgrims at the venue.
FOOTFALLS INCREASING BY THE DAY
The rush of devotees to pay obeisance has been increasing day by day. As per SGPC officials, thousands of pilgrims have visited the historic Ber Sahib gurdwara, without any hassle whatsoever.
Pankaj Sharma, the tent city manager said around 20,000 people have availed the facility of tents since November 1 but more rush is being expected from November 7 onwards.
A heavy rush could be seen at the langar hall where pilgrims partook the various types of foods at various sites.
SGPC PANDAL: RACE AGAINST TIME
The SGPC pandal to be set up at Guru Nanak College in Sultanpur Lodhi is incomplete. The outer structure has been set up by a private firm while the inner work is underway. Officials said they will complete the work by November 8. SGPC has spent nearly Rs 11 crore on the pandal and drone show.