Pune Sikhs to celebrate Baisakhi today

Baisakhi, the harvest festival of the Sikh community, will be celebrated with several events across the city on Thursday.

Although the festival is usually celebrated on April 13 every year, only once in 36 years does it fall on April 14, and the Sikh community across the city is gearing up to celebrate the day with fervour.

Granthis from gurudwaras in the city said the festival on April 14, instead of April 13, does not bring about any significant change in the way the festival is celebrated.

“Baisakhi dates back to the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who was beheaded by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, as the latter wanted to spread Islam in India and Guru Teg Bahadur stood up for the rights of Hindus and Sikhs,” said a senior granthi of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Aundh.

It was after the death of Guru Teg Bahadur, that his son, Guru Gobind Singh, became the 10th guru of the Sikhs. He wanted to instil among fellowmen courage and strength of sacrifice.

According to granthi Wassan Singh of Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Camp, the festival has tremendous religious significance as it was on a Baisakhi day in 1699 that Guru Gobind Singh established a group of Sikhs called ‘Khalsa Panth’.

Baisakhi is a harvest festival and signals the rabi crop is ready for harvest — hence it is celebrated by performing bhangra. “The foremost ritual is a holy dip in a gurudwara. Many try to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. In the evening, there is a procession of the Guru Granth Sahib, accompanied by Panj Piyaras,” said Shuchi Mehrish, a student.