Guru Nanak Dev’s wedding anniversary celebrations conclude at Gurdwara Kandh Sahib

Guru Nanak Dev’s 538th wedding anniversary celebrations, also known as Babe da Viah, concluded on a vibrant note with nearly a lakh devotees paying obeisance at the historic Gurdwara Kandh Sahib.

Intermittent drizzle failed to dampen the spirits of the devotees. The police had made arrangements to ensure that the roads did not get clogged with traffic. Both the devout and the dedicated walked for kilometres in the wedding procession notwithstanding the rain. The queues leading to the sacred gurdwara were too serpentine for comfort and unfortunately many lost a chance to bow their heads in reverence.

Residents felt elated as the city sported a clean look. Street lights had been repaired and heaps of garbage, which normally used to pile up on roads, were taken care of.

The onus was on Batala MLA Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi to make the event a success. This organisation of this event is considered to be politically important because a mistake here or there can dent the vote-bank of the sitting legislator. On his part, Kalsi and some officials carried out an inspection in the wee hours today to make sure everything was in order.

Special arrangements were made by Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Vikramjit Singh Panthey to lighten up the strategic Hansli bridge, one of the oldest landmarks of this town.

Keeping in view the religious significance and sensitivity of the event, Gurdaspur administration officials, including Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dalwinderjit Singh, ADC (General) Harjinder Singh Bedi and Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir, pulled out all the stops to make the ceremony a fruitful one. “On the one hand, the area was ravaged by floods, while on the other hand, this particular event could not be ignored at any cost. The officials did well to balance things and ensure the ceremony ended on a lively note,” said a senior official.