Dera Baba Nanak-On the occasion of the Joti Jot Diwas of Sri Guru Nanak Dev, the Officiating Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, today reached Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district. There, before Guru Sahib, he offered Ardas (Sikh prayer) for the reopening of the Corridor, for the resumption of Sikh jathas to be able to once again visit the sacred Gurdhams (Sikh places of worshipping) located in Pakistan, and for Punjab to be blessed with the strength to recover from the current flood situation.
Earlier in the day, Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj participated in a large Gurmat Samagam (religious congregation) organized by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) at Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Dera Baba Nanak, to mark the Joti Jot Diwas of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. During the occasion, the bhog (culmination ceremony) of Sri Akhand Path Sahib was performed, in which SGPC President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami was also present.
Afterwards, Jathedar Gargajj visited Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, where he offered Ardas in line with the sentiments of the Sikh community. While praying before the Guru, the Jathedar humbly prayed that devotees on the Dera Baba Nanak side stand yearning for darshan (to pay obeisance) of the sacred Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Kartarpur Sahib, across the border. He said that it was on this very day that Sri Guru Nanak Dev merged with the Eternal Light on the soil of Sri Kartarpur Sahib, and the Sikh Sangat across the world longs to pay obeisance at this holy place. However, under the prevailing circumstances, the devout Sikh Sangat from this side of Punjab is deprived of visiting Sri Kartarpur Sahib and can only glimpse it from afar.
Jathedar Gargajj said that in accordance with the sentiments of the entire Khalsa Panth, Ardas was offered at Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for its reopening, so that Sikhs may once again have open access and render sewa (voluntary service) at shrines including Gurdwara Janam Asthan Sri Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib, and others from which they were separated. He added that Sikh jathas should be able to visit the gurdwaras as before and free movement should continue on both sides. He further prayed that Punjab may emerge from the flood situation and always remain in a state of Chardi Kala (ever-rising spirit).