Sufi night at Qila Mubarak spells trouble for devotees

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 13

A Sufi night organised at Qila Mubarak here on Tuesday evening gave a tough time to devotees visiting the gurdwara. The district administration had organised the Sufi night to mark the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev.

Though everyone appreciated the lighting arrangement, devotees questioned officials for organising the Sufi night inside Qila Mubarak despite the fact that it has only one narrow route for entry and exit. Police personnel had to use slight force to control the crowd.

Vitul K Gupta, a resident, said, “I don’t know whose decision it was to organise a Sufi night inside Qila Mubarak, along with the ongoing kirtan at the gurdwara. When I visited Qila Mubarak, I was in a fix whether I should listen to the kirtan or attend the Sufi night. It is important to keep in mind that such a sacred function should not be clubbed with a Sufi night.”

Gurmeet Singh, a resident, said, “The Sufi night should not have been organised close to Gurdwara Sahib. Due to a limited number of entry and exit points, I shudder to think of the consequences in case of any untoward incident. The musical night could have been better organised in a sports stadium, which has a lot of space. It would have also saved the general public from a lot of harassment.”

No event at Lakhi Jangal

Surprisingly, the district administration had not organised any event at Lakhi Jangal village where Guru Nanak Dev had paid a visit. Last year, a religious event was organised at the village and Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Suresh Kumar visited the place. The historic village was totally ignored on the auspicious occasion of the 550 Parkash Purb.

Beant Singh, sarpanch, Lakhi Jangal, said, “On November 23, 2018, Principal Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar the Chief Minister had visited the village and announced a grant of Rs10 crore for development works. We are surprised that the district administration did not organise any event on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the village.”

Sartaaj, Kanwar Grewal pay musical tribute to Guru Nanak

• Punjabi Sufi singers Kanwar Grewal and Satinder Sartaaj paid a musical tribute to Guru Nanak Dev on the 550th Gurpurb at Qila Mubarak here on Tuesday night.
• Interacting with the audience, Kanwar Grewal said, “We are celebrating the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. But, it is disappointing that despite passing of 550 years, we are still making people aware of the history of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. We are to be blamed for this.”
• Later, Sufi singer Sartinder Sartaaj also performed. He reached the city after performing at Sultanpur Lodhi. On the request of Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, he started his performance with his famous song ‘Sai’. Sartaaj also sung his newly launched song ‘Aarsi’.
• “I am feeling great while performing at the country’s one of the oldest castles, which was built in the 11th century,” he said.
• Dr Surjit Patar recited his poems at the function. Dr Satish Verma, a former professor of Punjabi University, appealed to the public to follow the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev.