NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the historic Red Fort on April 21 to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur. “He (Modi) will also release a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the auspicious occasion. Four hundred ragis (traditional musicians) will perform the Shabad Kirtan,” said Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday.
A grand sound and light show and an exhibition are part of the two-day celebrations planned for the event that begins on April 20 in the national capital. The chief ministers of various states, prominent personalities from across the length and breadth of the subcontinent and abroad will be part of the celebrations, Reddy told the media. “I have personally invited many CMs and prominent Sikh leaders including those from Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Patna Saheb and other leaders from prominent gurudwaras across the nation.”
The Ministry of Culture is organising the programme in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. While making an announcement about the event, the minister also talked about the life and sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
“Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up to the atrocities of the Mughals by protecting the freedom of Dharmic faiths. He fought for the rights of Sikhs and Hindus, especially Kashmiri Pandits, to practice their faiths by opposing forcible conversions,” he said.