CHANDIGARH: In a massive brand building exercise to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, 84 ambassadors of various countries on Tuesday visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The group of heads of missions were from Australia, Argentina, Afghanistan, Azerbhaijan, , Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia, Magnolia, Murako, Bhutan, Korea, Kuwait, Israel, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libiya, Lithuania, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Malta, Mongolia, Morocco, South Africa, Spain, and Srilanka besides deputy chief of US Missions.
These diplomats were flown in a special plane from Delhi by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri. After offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum in the Golden temple they were taken for langar (community kitchen) and then also shown around the special galleries depicting sikh history.
They also witnessed giddha and bhangra performances.
They were welcomed by the local MP GS Aujla on their arrival at Amritsar airport.
When they arrived near Golden temple, the school children showered petals on them and a 42-member gatka team of local academy showed them the sikh martial art.
"Each of them was given Lohis, shawls, mementos, model of golden temple, a book written by Dr Harshinder Kaur by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC),’’ said a SGPC official.
The visit was organised by the ICCR in collaboration with the Punjab government and the SGPC after the union cabinet decided to celebrate the occasion in a grand manner throughout the country and across the globe.