Web kirtans connect people across world

As part of the celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Sikhs across the world are taking part in a ‘web kirtan’ session organised at 13 locations

As part of the celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Sikhs across the world are taking part in a ‘web kirtan’ session organised at 13 locations across the world, including London, New York, Melbourne, Amritsar and Nankana Sahib, where Guru Nanak was born.

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The daily session at 5pm IST started from November 1 and will end on November 13. The event, conceptualised by members of the Sikh community in Mumbai, was strengthened after Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body of gurdwaras in the country, validated the event.

On Tuesday, which marks the guru’s birthday, kirtan was held in Nankana Sahib. “We wanted followers of Guru Nanak across the world to come together to commemorate his 550th birth anniversary, which is why kirtans were held in at least one place in each continent,” said former director general of police (DGP) Dr PS Pasricha, who recently visited Kartarpur gurdwara in Pakistan.

Events were organised in the city as well. In Ulhasnagar, around 8,000 Sikhs, wearing traditional attire, took out a procession showcasing warfare techniques with traditional weapons. Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor took part in the ritual of ‘prabhat pheri’.