ADDRESS OF THE GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB SH. BANWARI LAL PUROHIT TO THE SPECIAL SESSION TO MARK THE 400TH PARKASH PARV OF SRI GURU TEG BAHADUR JI ON 3rd SEPTEMBER, 2021

WAHE GURU JI KA KHALSA WAHE GURU JI KI FATEH

1. Hon'ble Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Shri Rana K P Singh Ji

2. Hon'ble Chief Minister of Punjab,
Captain Amarinder Singh Ji

3. Hon'ble Members of Parliament

4. Hon'ble Members of the Punjab Cabinet

5. Hon'ble Members of the Legislative Assembly of Punjab

6. Officers and

7. My friends from the Media

I am deeply honoured and privileged to address this august house on the occasion of the Special Assembly Session summoned to mark the auspicious 400th Parkash Parb of the Ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.

His is the story of not just physical courage to stand tall and firm in adversity but a great saga of upholding the banner of religion under extreme hostility and unwavering commitment to faith as a matter beyond what he called small issues of life and death. In other words, the saga of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji offers the symbolism of highest sacrifice and the finest expression of spiritual faith.

There he stood taller than the tyrant who wanted to convert him to Islam. Death could never be the final destination for a man of faith. Angered by that steadfast refusal to budge, Mughal Emperor ordered Guru Teg Bahadur to be beheaded.

We are commemorating at this Special Session of the Legislative Assembly the 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. And by way of that, here we recommit ourselves to the cause of upholding of his ideals and teachings, no matter the odds, regardless of all temptations and resistance. And as we do this, we engage ourselves in recalling our country?s great tradition of saints and spiritual leaders. We bow our heads in extreme surrender to the Divine. His martyrdom is considered one of the most important turning points in the spiritual, religious and political history of India.

From time immemorial, when it comes to spiritual leadership, India has been a 'Vishwa Guru', a guiding light among nations. Punjab, too, is a land of Gurus, saints and seers. Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji shines among the galaxy of great spiritual Gurus whose message continues to guide the humanity and remains universally relevant at all the times.

The history of Punjab is full of selfless sacrifices made by the great gurus and martyrs who have always been a source of inspiration for all of us. Sikh Gurus inspired us in an era that was perhaps the most challenging phase of our history. No one can forget the contributions of the Sikh Gurus and their selfless sacrifices to strengthen the unity among different communities. Therefore, Sikh Gurus are respected not only by Sikhs, but also by people of all faiths across the world.

Born in Amritsar in 1621, the Ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, was the son of Guru Hargobind Ji. Trained in religious scriptures including the Vedas, the young man earned his name Teg Bahadur when his honourable father saw his valour and swordsmanship in a battle against the Mughal army.

Guru Teg Bahadur Ji came to be known as a protector of all the people of the Hindu faith in the country. His growing influence became troublesome to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who somehow wanted Guru Ji to be punished.

Aurangzeb was also engaged in forcibly converting the Hindus to the faith of Islam. During that drive, Aurangzeb captured as many as 500 Kashmiri Hindu Pandit people and presented them with the option of conversion or death. They urged Guru Teg Bahadur Ji to help and protect them. Guru Ji assured them of all help. His son, the young Gobind Rai, who later came to be known as the great Guru Gobind Singh Ji, urged the father to go to Delhi to meet the Mughal emperor personally to dissuade him from his vile campaign. Aurangzeb arrested him on the way to Delhi and then kept him in a fortress. He was offered all allurement to get converted to Islam, but Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was made of a different stuff. He refused and got ready to be executed, and came to be known for his supreme sacrifice and refusal to bow down to tyranny and injustice of the Mughals. He went all the way from Sri Anandpur Sahib to Delhi to dissuade Auragzeb from this religious imposition but was beheaded by the Mughal emporer. Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk Delhi marks the place of his execution.

Guru Teg Bahadur, thus, became the second Sikh Guru to be executed by the tyrant Mughal emperors. Seventy years earlier, the fifth Guru Arjan Dev Ji, too, was executed on the banks of river Ravi in front of Lahore fort by the then Mughal emperor Jahangir. Both these martyrdoms have proved to be major turning points in Indian history.

I pay my utmost tributes and bow to one of the greatest spiritual masters of India, 'Hind Di Chaddar', Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, an embodiment of humility, who transcended all barriers of caste, creed, race, religion and gender. A poet, a thinker and a warrior, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji promoted the revelations of the purity and divinity of all the Sikh Gurus. We are all inspired by the supreme sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib and his universal teachings of peace and unity within the entire humanity.

One of the key elements in the teachings of Guru Sahib has been the spirit of Sewa or selfless service. This is considered as one of the foremost pious duties that the mankind can perform enriching us with selflessness, humility and gratitude towards God.

The whole world is still faced with the challenges of fighting the Corona Pandemic. In India, we had to face tragedies of immense magnitude, for families who lost their near and dear ones. The challenges of providing adequate healthcare facilities and vaccinating the entire population is still in front of us.

During these trying times, it is the spiritual values and teachings of our Gurus that guide us. Let us continue to be inspired by such values of selfless sewa in the discharge of our responsibilities as citizens, doctors, nurses, municipal frontline workers, administrators and leaders in our fight against the pandemic.

Let us on this sacred day rededicate ourselves to the philosophy of selfless service to all that was the hallmark of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji's teachings. Let hatred and violence find no place in our thoughts and actions. May the sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji inspire us to unite all humanity into one common brotherhood.



Thank you,
Jai Hind.