Deputy CM Shinde lays stone for Maharashtra Sadan in Ghuman

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde laid the foundation stone for Maharashtra Sadan in Kishan Kot village, near Ghuman township, in Punjab, in celebration of the 755th birth anniversary of Marathi saint Bhagat Namdev.

The state government had allocated a two-acre plot for the project during the 88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, which was held in Ghuman in 2015.

Shinde was accompanied by Sanjay Nahar, the founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Sarhad, which is based in Pune and has worked in various regions including Punjab, Kashmir and Manipur.

Although the organisers had extended an invitation to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, neither he nor any of his Cabinet colleagues attended the event. Sri Hargobindpur MLA Amarpal Singh and SDM Vikramjit Singh Panthey were present to escort Shinde during the proceedings.

The event was organised by Sarhad, with support from the district administration. The Sri Hargobindpur Municipal Council initiated a cleanliness drive ahead of the event and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) was instructed to ensure there were no power outages during the ceremony.

Shinde and his team flew from Sholapur to Amritsar and then drove to Kishan Kot village, where the function commenced four hours later than scheduled. Given the significance of the event, Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir oversaw the security arrangements.

Bhagat Namdev, a 14th-century Indian saint and poet from Maharashtra, is renowned for his spiritual hymns, which are also included in Sikh scripture. His 61 hymns are part of the Guru Granth Sahib. Namdev, who attracted a large following in Ghuman, is believed to have meditated there for several years, drawing followers from diverse backgrounds.

During the event, Eknath Shinde was honoured with the ‘Baba Namdev Samman Award’ in recognition of his contribution to preserving and promoting the legacy of the saint.

The last major event commemorating Bhagat Namdev’s memory was the Ghuman Bahubhasha Sahitya Sammelan, held in 2015, which celebrated the cultural ties between Punjabi and Marathi communities. Over 400 Marathi writers and linguists attended the event, further strengthening the bond between the two cultures