On the 400th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s birth, PM Modi unveiled a commemorative coin and postage stamp on Thursday, April 21, 2022, and recognized the ninth Sikh guru’s dedication to preserving culture.
PM Modi spoke to the crowd at Red Fort, where a two-day celebration of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 400th birth anniversary ended on Thursday night. The Prime Minister stated the Red Fort had witnessed many historical events, including Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom, and had put the courage of those who died for the country to the test. The order for Guru Tegh Bahadur’s beheading came from Red Fort, and he was beheaded in the adjoining Chandni Chowk.
According to Mr. Modi, there was a “storm of religious fanaticism in the country at the time,” and Guru Tegh Bahadur was India’s best hope for preserving its identity and resisting Aurangzeb’s dictatorship.
Many generations have been motivated by Guru Tegh Bahadur’s commitment to live and die “to safeguard the dignity of their culture,” he said. Mr. Modi stated, “Great powers have vanished, enormous storms have calmed, but India is still standing, moving forward.”
PM Modi: Government is attempting to connect the Sikh pilgrimage
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A kirtan was held earlier as part of the Culture Ministry’s two-day celebrations, and the story of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life was recreated through a music and light performance projected onto the Red Fort’s front. Harmeet Singh Kalka, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, has asked the Prime Minister to meet two demands: establishing a Sikh university in Delhi and renaming the Indira Gandhi International Airport after Guru Tegh Bahadur.