वाहेगुरु जी का खालसा, वाहेगुरु जी की फतह, जो बोले सो निहाल! सत् श्री अकाल!

Present with us on the auspicious occasion of Gurpurab - my colleagues Shri Hardeep Singh Puri ji, Shri John Barla ji, Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura ji, Bhai Ranjit Singh ji, Shri Harmeet Singh Kalka ji, and all my brothers and sisters!

I extend my best wishes to all of you, and to all the countrymen on the occasion of Gurpurab, Prakash Parv 2022. Dev-Deepawali is also being celebrated in the country today. A grand event is being organized particularly in Kashi where the deities are being welcomed with lakhs of lamps. I also extend my heartiest wishes on Dev-Deepawali!

Friends,

You all are aware that as a worker I have spent a long time in Punjab. During that time, I have had the privilege of paying obeisance at Amritsar's Harmandir Sahib several times on the occasion of Gurpurab. Now that I am in the government, I consider myself and my government fortunate that such important festivals of gurus coincided with our government's regime. We got the privilege of celebrating the 350th Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. We had the privilege of celebrating the 400th Prakash Parv of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. And as mentioned, a grand and a historic event was organized at the Red Fort to send out the message to the whole world. Three years ago, we had also celebrated the 550th Prakashotsav of Guru Nanak Dev ji with a lot of enthusiasm in the country and abroad.

Friends,

The blessings and the inspiration that the country received from its gurus on these special occasions, are intensifying the vigour to build a 'New India'. Today, as we are celebrating the '553rd' Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak Dev ji, we are witnessing how the country has made some historic achievements with the blessings of Guru Nanak all these years.

Friends,

As per the understanding and significance of Prakash Parv in the Sikh tradition, even the country is carrying forward the tradition of duty and service with the same diligence today. The light of every Prakash Parv is acting as a source of inspiration for the country. I am fortunate to have been constantly getting the opportunity to serve and to be a part of these extraordinary events. I hope to be in a blissful state of bowing down to the Guru Granth Sahib, listening to the devotional Gurbani and enjoying the prasad of langar. It also gives a feeling of immense satisfaction in life, and a sense of dedication to the society, to the country. I hope the eternal energy to work in a dedicated way for the society and the nation keeps getting replenished. To get these blessings, no matter how many times I may bow down at the feet of Guru Nanak Dev ji and all our gurus, will not be enough.

Friends,

Guru Nanak Dev Ji showed us the way to live life. He had said – “Japo Naam, Kirat Karo, Wand Chhako”. That is, chant the name of God, work hard while walking on the path of your duty and share the food with each other. This one sentence also holds a spiritual meaning, the formula for worldly prosperity, and an inspiration for social harmony. In the 'Azadi Ka AmritKaal', the country is moving ahead with the spirit of welfare of the 130 crore Indians by following this guru mantra. In the 'Azadi Ka AmritKaal', the country has rekindled a sense of pride in its culture, heritage and spiritual identity. In order to encourage the supreme sense of duty, the country has decided to celebrate this phase of Azadi Ka AmritKaal as 'Kartavya Kaal'. And, in the 'Azadi Ka AmritKaal', the country is following the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' for equality, harmony, social justice and unity. That is, the guidance that the country received through Gurbani centuries ago, is our tradition, belief, and also the vision of a developed India today.

Friends,

The glory and significance of a gem like Guru Granth Sahib, is beyond the limits of time and geography. We also realise that when the crisis gets bigger, the relevance of these solutions increases even more. In times of unrest and instability in the world today, the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib and the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji are showing the direction to the world like a torch. Guru Nanak's message of love can bridge the biggest gap, and the proof of the same is emanating from this land of India. Despite so many languages, dialects, various food habits and different lifestyles, we live as an Indian and toil hard for the development of the country. Therefore, the more we live up to the ideals of our gurus, the more we embody the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' by removing mutual differences, the more we give priority to the values of humanity, the louder and clearer the teachings of our Gurus will reach every person around the world.

Friends,

In the last 8 years, with the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, we have got the opportunity to work relentlessly for the glory of Sikh tradition. And, this continues even today. You would know, just a few days back I had gone to Mana village in Uttarakhand. During this visit I had the privilege of laying the foundation stone of the ropeway project from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. Similarly, Delhi-Una Vande Bharat Express has also been flagged off now. With this, a new modern facility has been started for the devotees going to Anandpur Sahib. Earlier, railway facilities had also been modernized at the places associated with Guru Gobind Singh ji. Our government is also engaged in the construction work of Delhi-Katra-Amritsar Expressway. This will reduce the distance between Delhi and Amritsar by 3-4 hours. Our government is going to spend more than Rs 35,000 crore on this. This is a virtuous effort of our government to make the 'darshan' of Harmandir Sahib easier.

And friends,

It is not just a matter of convenience and tourism potential. It also involves the energy of our pilgrimages, the heritage of the Sikh tradition and a broader understanding. This understanding is of service, love, devotion and a sense of belongingness. It is difficult for me to describe in words the feelings when Kartarpur Sahib Corridor was opened after decades of waiting. It has been our endeavour to continue to strengthen the Sikh traditions and the Sikh heritage. You know very well how the situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated some time ago. We had launched a campaign to bring back Hindu and Sikh families here. We had also brought back the sacred copies of Guru Granth Sahib safely. The country has also decided to celebrate 'Veer Bal Diwas' on 26th December in memory of the great sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh ji’s Sahibzades. In every nook and corner of the country, the present generation of India as well as the future generations of India should know about the traditions of this great land. They should know what it is like to make sacrifices like Sahibzades for the land where we were born, our motherland. It is such a spirit of sacrifice and duty, which would be rarely found in the entire world history.

Friends,

In the memory of the sacrifices made by the people of our Punjab during the partition, the country has also started 'Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas'. We have also tried to create a way to give citizenship to the Hindu-Sikh families affected by the Partition by bringing in the CAA law. You must have seen that Gujarat has given citizenship to the victimized and oppressed Sikh families abroad and made them realize that wherever Sikhs are in the world, India is their home. As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I also had the privilege of renovating and rejuvenating Gurdwara Kot Lakhpat Sahib.

Friends,

At the root of all these works lies the gratitude for the path shown by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. At the core of this relentless work is the debt of the infinite sacrifices made by Guru Arjandev and Guru Gobind Singh.

And it is the duty of the country to repay the debt at every step. I am sure, by the grace of the Gurus, India will continue to enhance the glory of its Sikh tradition, and move on the path of progress. With this spirit, once again, I bow at the feet of the Guru. Once again, my heartiest wishes to you and all the countrymen on Gurpurab! Thanks a lot!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/LP/IG/AK