By Zile Singh                                                

 “Truth is the panacea of all ills,” and that “Truth is high but higher still is truthful living.” God’s name, according to Sikhi is said to be the “Truth.” 

November 15, 2024, was the 555th birth anniversary (Gurpurab) of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Sikhs celebrated the day all over the world.  The Sunset Indo-Canadian Seniors’ Society, Vancouver also celebrated this pious day.  Dr. Jagjit Singh, Dr. Kala Singh, Dr. Gurbax Singh Sidhu, Mr. Sucha Claire,Giani Gurbachan Waraich, Mr. Rajinder Singh Pandher. Mr. Gurpal Singh Pandher, Mr. Joginder Sunner, Surjit Singh Gill spoke about Guru Nanak’s contribution to uplift the society from inequality, dogmas, rituals, and superstitionsprevailing at that time.  Dozens of othermembers of the Society recited poetry related to Guru Nanak’s life. This day highlights Guru’s teachings of equality, selfless service, devotion to God, and universal love. Celebrations include processions, prayers, and community meals (Langar), emphasizing his values of justice and compassion.

Equality: Guru Nanak preached that all are equal irrespective of caste, creed, and gender. He believed God lives in every human being. Therefore, all should be treated in a dignified manner.

Selfless Service (Seva): He promoted selfless service with the belief that people should provide service without any intention of reward. 

Devotion to God: Unlike the concept of priests and rituals, Guru Nanak focused on personal connection with God through devotion and prayer. The Guru further cautioned that true godliness emanates only from faithful devotion and a virtuous life.

Universal Love and Compassion: His message is about love for all beings, harmony, and reconciliation among communities.

Debunking Superstitions: He was against the current social norms and superstitions. He felt that spiritualism needs to be tackled logically with truth and just values.These values are written in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the seminal scriptural text of Sikhism. It is a guide to truthful living. 

Today, when we look around, we find that an atmosphere of hate, division in the society, including the Sikh community, selfishness, and dogmas are having an upper hand. There is a fight to control the Gurudwaras for selfish purposes. There is a division even on the date of Gurpurab.  Some say it is in the month of Kartik; same say it is in Baisakh. There are numerous other issues on which there is a tussle going on.  We are fighting even on ‘how to eat’? Like any other religion, Sikhism also is divided in different manners. It is a truth that Guru Nanak’s (the first Guru) message of ‘Ek Onkar’ and also the 10th Guru Gobind Singh’s   Hukam ‘Guru Manyo Granth’ have lost sight of. Instead of a logical par excellence thinker we have painted him as a “Karamati.’ Are we the worthy inheritor of Guru Nanak’s heritage? Let us introspect and raise ourselves to understand Guru Nanak. That is the real Celebration.  Waheguru.

Zile Singh is a well respected Columnist, Writer and a Vipassana Meditater. He has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights.  He can be reached at zsnirwal@yahoo.ca