Five-day festival in memory of Sufi saint Baba Farid concludes

Nagar kirtan on the last day of Baba Farid mela in Faridkot on Saturday. (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)

The five-day festival in the memory of Sufi saint Baba Sheikh Farid Ji concluded in Faridkot on Saturday, with Nagar Kirtan starting from Tilla Baba Farid and concluding at Gurdwara Godhri Sahib in which a large number of devotees participated.

At the concluding function, the Baba Farid Society honoured minister Navjot Singh Sidhu with Baba Farid Award for Honesty and Paranjit Singh Nabha, a scooter mechanic, with Bhagat Puran Singh Award for Humanity. Sidhu donated the award money of Rs 1 lakh and added Rs 1 lakh of his own for the treatment of famous Sufi singer Idu Sharif.

The awards were given away by chief guest Bibi Inderjit Kaur, chief sewadar Bhagat Puran Singh of Pingalwara Amritsar, Mahant Kahan Singh of Seva Panthi Sampardai and Inderjit Singh Khalsa, chairman of Baba Farid Education and Religious Organizations.

The Baba Farid Society took another initiative this year by introducing cleanliness drive award, which was given to an Amritsar-based advocate.

The scooter mechanic from Nabha, who was given the award for serving the humanity, has been taking people injured in road accidents to hospitals for the last 20 years. During the five-day festival which commenced on September 19, a book fair and several cultural programmes were organised. Apart from this, various societies, educational institutions, social and religious organizations organized drama festivals, sports competitions, folk dance competitions, cultural programmes, blood camps, medical check-up camps, book fair and exhibitions at various places in the Faridkot city.

The highlight was the ‘Kafla-e-Virasat’ march which passed through the city exhibiting the glimpses of heritage.

Apart from this, a national seminar on life, teachings and philosophy of Baba Farid Ji was organised at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. Sufi singer Kanwar Grewal’s Sham-e-Sufiana programme also lent a sufiana colour to the festivities.