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Guru Nanak's birthday
Consul General in Vancouver urges unity in diversity
Several hundred families crowded into Fraserview Hall Nov 24 to celebrate the 538th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.
The event was sponsored by the District Hoshiarpur Association.
The driving forces behind the association, Arun Kumar Suri, Gopal Lohia and Daljit Singh, welcomed special guest Mr. Ashok Kumar, Consul General of India in Vancouver to the event.
Kumar is himself from the Hoshiarpur region.
Addressing the full-house gathering, the Consul General highlighted the achievements of members of district Hoshiarpur in various fields, especially sports, industry and the freedom movement.
He said, “Punjabis have achieved great success wherever they have gone.
It is a matter of pride that our community has made commendable progress in Canada in all walks of life.
The Indo-Canadian community has done well over one hundred years. My only message is to keep it up. You have made India proud.”
Talking about peaceful coexistence, the Consul General said, “The celebration coincides with the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji who gave the universal message of love, service, and oneness of God and oneness of human race.
His message is unity in diversity. We should remember his teachings and serve …mankind.”
Well-known community activist Gian Singh Kotli presented the Consul General with two books of Punjabi poems dedicated to Guru Nanak, Nanak Duniya Kaisi Hoee and Nanak Saair IV Kahyaa.
Kotli explained the association’s aim was to create a sense of closeness and mutual understanding among the families of the Hoshiarpur region, rather than emphasize comparisons or zonal demarcation.
He said, “We all are one as Punjabis and Indians. Guru Nanak’s first sermon was, ‘There is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, only man.’
The need of the hour, particularly for the leaders, is to leave hypocrisy and follow Guru’s teachings of love and service in true earnest to present a true model of Sikh principles before the new generation.”
Several singers and more than 10 bhangra teams provided entertainment late into the evening.
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