Sikhs take out grand rally ahead of Guru Nanak Jayanti

Ranchi: Members of the Sikh community from across the city took out a procession here on Sunday in view of the Guru Nanak Jayanti to be observed on Tuesday.
The devotees participated in the grand procession, which originated from the Ratu Road gurudwara and passed through Albert Ekka Chowk, Main Road and concluded at Guru Nanak School in PP Compound.
As the holy Guru Granth Sahib was transported on a palanquin decorated with flowers through the streets, community members sang devotional hymns.
The devotees carried religious flags in their hands during the procession to mark the upcoming 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Langars (community feast) will be organised at every gurudwara of the city on the occasion Tuesday.
Haribinder Singh Bedi, president of the Gurunank Satyam Sabha, said: “On the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, nagarkirtan, a grand procession, was taken out, led by five people (panch pyare), selected before the event. These five people are considered as the representatives, selected by Guru Nanak himself. After the ritual of the transportation of the holy scripture, a langar ceremony was organised."
Mohit Chopra, a devotee who took part in the procession, said: “Earlier, people from the community used to take out the nagarkirtan a day before the Guru Nanak Jayanti. But considering the fatigue of sevadars, the procession is taken out two days prior to the event for the past six years."
Another mandatory event, gatka show, a type of martial arts, was the main attraction of the procession. A team of 30 people from Punjab performed gatka during the rally. Kawaljeet Singh, a devotee said, “Every year, such trained teams from Punjab comes to the city take part in the procession and perform gatka.”