Punjab govt to celebrate Sikh guru's birth anniversary virtually

In view of the coronavirus crisis, the Punjab government will celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur from April 28 virtually, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Friday.

The CM said the situation is not conducive for grand celebrations and he will also speak to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur to shift all celebrations to the virtual mode, according to an official statement.

"Kirtans' will be telecast on television and social media channels. People will be requested to pray for the welfare of all from their homes on "Guru Purab" on May 1, the chief minister said. All programmes will be held as scheduled now but through virtual mode, with no physical gatherings, the statement issued after a meeting of the executive committee set up to oversee the historic celebrations said.

Earlier, Congress MPs Manish Tewari and Gurjeet Singh Aujla stressed the need to have symbolic celebrations this year, with no big functions till the COVID situation improves.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi also opined that televised or online celebrations will send a positive and constructive message to people during the difficult times.

The SGPC, which is the apex religious body of the Sikhs, should also be taken on board, Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)