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Gurpurab 2013: Celebrating the Birthday of Guru Nanak

Gurpurab 2013: Celebrating the Birthday of Guru Nanak Sikh tradition celebrates the coming of Guru Nanak on this day, 545 years ago, as the descending of Divine Light on Earth to dispel the mist and fog of spiritual ignorance in an age of darkness (Kali Yug). Nanak's appearance was to be the beginning of a new way (Panth) that was to crystalize into what we know as Sikhi or the Sikh religion. Sikhs will celebrate Nanak's birth, as they have always done, with much fanfare. A s a symbolic gesture, their homes will be lit. Taking a cue from traditions that Nanak started, they will gather in congregations across the world and sing hymns of praise to God and share with others the fruit of their labors by organizing community kitchens. Much of what we know about Nanak, the person, comes from traditional sources called Janam Sakhis (literally, birth stories), folklore and oral traditions. The picture of Nanak in the popular conscious is best captured in a ditty, sung even today and...

Is Gangasagar turning into an Islamic bastion?

G angasagar , well-known pilgrimage and fair of Hindus across the globe and also the second largest congregation of mankind following the Holy Kumbh Mela, is being grabbed by Muslim radicals steadily and the abrupt emergence of lots of illegal slums comprising Muslims only denote the nefarious reality on the whole. And the way in which local administration is showering blessings on Islamists it is not far when the renowned Hindu pilgrimage will turn into an Islamic one. An Islamic festival took place just 20 days back at No. 5 Bus stand in Gangasagar but the lofty gateway or decorated arch is yet to be removed. Even if Hindus have asked the local administration repeatedly to remove it, the impasse continues due to indifference of police, let alone Muslims. Top officers in the administration are also concerned of this deadlock. And the crude fact that makes them reluctant is that this is no unusual development in the contemporary scenario. A casual visit is enough to asc...