Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met representatives from the Sikh community in Friday to discuss preparations for the 350th anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur in November.
The delegates said that the meetings's objective was to decide the coordinate the organisation for of the samagam, or gathering, at the state level to spread the teachings and sacrifice of the guru to every corner of the country.
Senior officials from various government departments, including the Collector of Nanded, the site of one of Sikhism's supreme seats, were present at the meeting. Among the Sikh representatives were Sant Gyani Harnam Singh Khalsa, pradhan of Sant Samaj, who said that it is an occasion related to religious tolerance and national consciousness not only for Sikhs but for the entire country.
Other officials who attended the meeting were the Maharashtra chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), additional chief secretary (finance), secretary of the department of minority affairs, Mumbai municipal commissioner, and commissioner of police, Nanded.
Fadnavis said that the Maharashtra government will organise the anniversary at the state level. He stressed the need to connect the event with all sections of the society and suggested the presence Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, at the three major gatherings at Nanded, Nagpur, and Mumbai Metropolitan Region. He presented an outline for major events to be organised in Maharashtra throughout the year. He mentioned a special booklet based on the life values, humanity and sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur which will be published in Hindi, Punjabi and Marathi to make the new generation aware about the history of the Sikh guru.
Bal Malkit Singh, convenor, Maharashtra Sikh Association, and director of the state-level organising committee, said that this event is not only a tribute to Guru Teg Bahadur but also a historic initiative towards making Maharashtra a symbol of cultural consciousness, religious tolerance and national unity.
