Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated with religious fervour

Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab is being celebrated with religious fervour across India and the world on Friday(November19). It marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who laid the foundation of Sikhism. This year marks the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. On this day, devotees around the world offer prayers. The Golden temple in Amritsar celebrates Gurpurab with much aplomb. 

Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated 15 days after Diwali on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima. The celebrations for this festival start about two days ago with a 48-hour non-stop recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, called Akhand Path. A procession called Nagarkirtan is also organised a day before Guru Nanak's birthday.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu have greeted people on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Extending his warm greetings to all Indians especially of the Sikh community, Mr Kovind said, the implicit message of love, compassion and sacrifice in the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev ji promotes the spiritual progress of humankind. President said, Guru Nanak Dev Ji's thoughts encourage us to emulate the ideals of peace and brotherhood in our lives. He said, Guru Nanak Dev ji while leading the life of a simple householder emphasized service as a means to attain ‘Ek Omkar Satnam, Karta Purakh’. Kovind urged the people to follow the footsteps of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and strengthen the spirit of harmony and unity in our society.
In his message, Naidu said that Guru Nanak has remained an embodiment of truth, compassion, and righteousness through his noble life. The Vice President said that his divine teachings will continue to inspire us to follow the path of righteousness and show respect for all humankind irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Mr. Naidu said that Guru Nanak also taught us to follow an ethical path in life. He said that Guru Nanak was a shining apostle of the sublime spiritual ethos of India who truly democratized religion by taking spirituality to the common man. Naidu wished that Guru Nanak’s eternal message continues to guide us in building a just, humane and harmonious society.  Prime Minister Modi said, the world over, the influence of Guru Nanak Dev ji is distinctly visible.

Several Bollywood celebrities extended Guru Nanak Jayanti. Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchcam Akshay Kumr, Richa Schddha, Anil Kapur extended their greetings on social media. 

T 4099 - Guru Nanak jayanti.. may His blessings be upon us all .. pic.twitter.com/my7ozrEUGU

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) November 18, 2021

Sikh pilgrims also visited the Nankana Saheb in Pakistan to pay their respect. According to reports more that 8,000 sikh pilgimes from all over the world went to Nanka Saheb.