“Recognise the whole of mankind as one race. O Lord of thee this boon I ask, I never shun a righteous deed. Let me be fearless when I go battle, give me faith that victory will be mine, let one directive guide my mind that I may ever sing thy praise and when comes the time to end my life, I shall die heroically fighting on the battlefield.” These are the words of holy saint, Guru Gobind Singh who is the 10th guru of the Sikh community.
Several years after his death, his words and teachings remain evergreen. 5 January is the birthday of this holy saint. This year, 2017 the Sikh community across the world is celebrating the 350th birth anniversary of their holy saint.
In Coimbatore, the Sikh community is celebrating this auspicious occasion at their temple, Gurudwara Singh Sabha that is located in R S Puram. The celebrations started on 28th December 2016 and will conclude today, 5 January 2017. The holy book of the Sikh community, Guru Granth Sahib decorated with flowers, was carried out on a nagar kirtan (procession) across the city as a part of the celebrations. Another highlight of the celebrations was Gatka, the display of Sikh martial arts from the land of five rivers, Punjab. A group of experts from Punjab displayed their skills with the sword, while the public watched in awe.
Priests from Punjab have been specially flown to recite holy songs.
From 1 January onwards, a group of experienced priests from Ludhiana and Shimla have been reciting holy songs at the Gurudwara Singh Sabha. On 3 January several members of the Sikh community began the recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib. The recitation concluded today.
A langar (common kitchen) will be served and this will mark the end of the celebrations.
About 60 families of the Sikh community are members of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha that is headed by its President Iqbal Singh Thind. Gurpreet Singh serves as Vice President, while Prithpal Singh Anand is treasurer, Sher Singh is Secretary and Jai Singh Jagiasi is joint secretary of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha.