The High Commission of India, London on Monday (26) hosted a digital exhibition on two sahibzadas of Guru Govind Singh on the occasion of Veer Baal Diwas.
While all four sons of Guru Gobind Singh made their supreme sacrifice, the date is observed as the martyrdom day of the Sahibzadas Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh who are said to have sacrificed their lives at the tender ages of six and nine in Sirhind (Punjab) by Mughal forces on the orders of the then ruler Aurangzeb.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that 26th December shall henceforth be marked as "Veer Baal Diwas" to pay homage to the courage of the "Sahibzadas", four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the last Sikh guru.
Guru Gobind Singh had four sons - Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh.
All four of his sons were initiated into the Khalsa and all were executed by Mughal forces before the age of 19.
Sikhism honors the illustrious martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh in the prayer of ardas for their valor and sacrifice as 'Char Sahibzade', that is the four princes of the Khalsa warrior order.
Sahibzada Jorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh are among the most revered martyrs in Sikhism. A combination of Mughals soldiers besieged Anandpur Sahib on the orders of emperor Aurangzeb (1704). The two sons of Guru Gobind Singh were captured.
They were offered safe passage if they became Muslims. They both refused, and so they were sentenced to death and were bricked alive. These two greats preferred death instead of deviating from the noble principles of Dharma.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that we need to come out of the narrow perspectives of the past if we want to take our country to reach newer heights of success.
"If we want to take India to newer heights of success then we have to become free from the narrow perspectives of the past," Modi said during the programme organized to mark the remembrance of the supreme sacrifice by the sons of Guru Gobind Singh-- Sahibzades, and Mata Gujri Ji on the occasion of Veer Baal Diwas.
The programme was organised at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the national capital.
Addressing the gathering at the stadium in Delhi, Modi said that today the nation is paying tribute to the Sahibzades as they present an example of courage, valour and sacrifice.
"Veer Baal Diwas stands for the 'Shaurya' and 'Sikh balidan' and will also empower Indians to take pride in their identity, in the world. The day will help us celebrate the past and would inspire us to build the future," PM Modi said as the country celebrates the first ever Veer Baal Diwas.
"The Veer Baal Diwas will keep reminding us that as far as bravery is concerned, age does not matter. Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Jujar Singh are living legends of bravery and courage. Their lives have given us the inspiration to understand our values and identity globally," he said further mentioning that they were not afraid of anything and neither did they bow down before anybody," added Modi.
Modi said, "On one hand, there was terrorism, and spiritualism, and communal mayhem while on the other hand there was liberalism...on one hand there were forces of lakhs whereas on the other hand there was Veer Sahibzaade who did not relent at all."
Modi further said that the 'Panch Pyare' of Guru Gobind Singh were from all parts of the country, signifying the unity in diversity of India, hence the Sikh Guru tradition is also an inspiration for the idea of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat'.
"India has a rich history. We bow towards Nachiketa, who won the battle against death. We respect the valour of Shri Ram, and we are inspired by Bhagwan Mahavir," he said.
Emphasizing that the new India takes inspiration from the ethics of Lord Rama, Gautam Biddha, Guru Nanak Dev, Maharana Pratap, and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Modi said that the key to success for every nation is based on 'Siddhant', 'Mulya', and 'Adarsh'.
"New India is rectifying the decade-old mistakes by encouraging the youth to take inspiration from History and work collectively towards the development of the country,' Modi said.
(ANI)
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