Gobind Sadan
BABA SIRI CHAND’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Gobind Sadan’s celebration of Baba Siri Chand’s birthday this year was held in a somewhat subdued manner because of the great floods which had recently devastated areas of Punjab. The pleasant weather in Delhi belied the great sufferings of the people who have lost their crops, their animals, and even their homes.
Many sangat came nevertheless to honour revered Baba Siri Chand and to do seva. Seven Akhand Paaths began on Friday morning, September 12th. On Saturday evening, special havan was held at Angeetha Sahib. In addition to hourly prayers at the central havan, many people visited Jesus’ Place for personal prayers. Langar seva was augmented by a team of halwaiis bought by Boha sangat. Kirtan offerings culminated in the diwan hall programme on Sunday, with Gurbani kirtan by Simrarjeet Singh and Ramandeep Singh from Chattarpur, Bibi Surender Kaur from Rajouri Garden, Satnam Singh jatha from Saket, Gurdaspur sangat, and Bhai Gurbachan Singh Ji Lali jatha from Delhi. Sri Ramesh Bidhuri (ex-MP from South Delhi), Naresh Tyagi and Pinky Naresh Tyagi (Councilor of Chattarpur), Sri Ramesh Ambawta (ex-Councilor, now of Aya Nagar and Jonapur), Harpreet Singh (Gurdwara Chattarpur President), and Baldev Singh (President of Gurdwara Vidya Kendra, Chattarpur) came to pay their respects.
Giani Iqbal Singh, former Jathedar of Patna Sahib and Patron of Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharaj Memorial Trust, spoke about Baba Siri Chand, saying, “Usually when babies are born, they cry. Baba Siri Chand Ji was smiling. He does not feel the pain of birth and death.”
Dr. Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organization, spoke about Guru Nanak and Baba Siri Chand, and said he had heard a lot about what Baba Virsa Singh had done at Gobind Sadan for uplifting humanity and religion. He also spoke about the disastrous floods in Punjab and said he had told Sikhs that they were suffering because they were not following the hukam of the Guru.
A new mela management team appointed by the Gobind Sadan Management Committee made innovations that helped everything flow more smoothly. They organized a welcome desk, additional handwashing stations, and new pathways to ease congestion in the havan and langar areas, with signs to guide the sangat through the new paths.