Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary will be celebrated across globe: Swaraj

Guru Nanak Dev’s 550^th birth anniversary will celebrated across the globe with all Indian embassies and missions hosting programmes to spread his message of brotherhood and sharing, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

Swaraj, while speaking at a ‘gurbani kirtan’ organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations together with the World Punjabi Organisation (WPO), said that in this era of protectionism, there can be no better message than Guru Nanak Dev’s message of sharing.

“In this turbulent world, where violence and killings are prevalent, where people are being massacred in the name of religion, through this anniversary celebration, we want to spread the message of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus in the world,” she said.

Swaraj said that this message would be spread through seminars, ‘gurbani kirtan’ and other such programmes.

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“After a few days we will start celebrating the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. I want to tell you, that we will celebrate Guru Nanak Dev’s 550^th birth anniversary across the globe. Every embassy, every mission will celebrate this. ICCR will celebrate this,” she said.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated as the ‘Universal Brotherhood Year!’

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The year 2019 will mark the 550^th birth anniversary year of Guru Nanak Dev, whose birthplace is Sri Nankana Sahib, in Pakistan.

Every year, devotees from India travel to Pakistan to pay obeisance at the Nankana Sahib gurudwara.