Chicago Indian Consulate celebrates birth anniversaries of Guru Govind Singh and Guru Nanak

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Chicago, IL – The Consulate General of India in Chicago, along with Gurdwara Sahib of Chicago celebrated the 352^nd birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh and 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on Sunday Jan.20, at the Gurdwara Sahib of Chicago on Devon Avenue.

The Gurdwara Sahib’s President, Balvinder Singh, helped in organizing this event where, among the attendees, was Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, of 8^th Congressional District, who spoke about the relevance of the teachings of Guru Nanak in his speech. The program was well attended and concluded with a Langar.

The Shabad Kirtan was followed by a keynote speech by the Consul General of India, Neeta Bhushan.

She dwelt at length on the teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first Guru of the ten Sikh Gurus, his message of one God, communal harmony and its relevance in today’s world.

Guru Nanak traveled extensively to spread his message of tolerance, harmony, the denunciation of ritualism, superstition, ceremonialism, to believe in simplicity and that God is present in each one of us, Bhushan said.

Today, Patna Sahib in Bihar, where he was born, is among the sacred shrines of not just members of the Sikh faith but also for people from all religions and walks of life, Bhushan noted.

The Gurdwara Sahib of Chicago also celebrated its 25^th anniversary on this day and is popular in the city for serving food to the needy everyday from 7 am to 9pm.