Adopt poison-free farm practices: Balbir Singh Seechewal to devotees during ‘Green Nagar Kirtan’

Environmental crusader and Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal has called upon people to adopt poison-free and sustainable farming practices. Addressing devotees during the third ‘Green Nagar Kirtan’, which began from Nirmal Kutiya, Seechewal, and reached Sultanpur Lodhi by evening after passing through several villages, he urged farmers to protect environment and return to natural methods of cultivation.

People from every village along the route extended a warm welcome to the Nagar Kirtan. Seechewal reminded the gathering that Guru Nanak Dev spent the later part of his life in Kartarpur, personally cultivating his fields and upholding the dignity of honest labour. He lamented that in the pursuit of profit, people have begun poisoning their own crops.

Explaining Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings, Seechewal highlighted the timeless message of “Kirat Karo, Naam Japo, Vand Chhako” — work honestly, remember God and share with others. He recalled that Guru Nanak Dev undertook four great journeys (Udasis) to spread divine wisdom, living a simple life but carrying a universal vision that bound the entire creation together through the message of air, water, and earth.

Appreciating the farmers’ collective decision not to burn stubble (parali) this year, Seechewal hailed it as a commendable step towards environmental protection. “Stubble is not a curse for the fields, it is a blessing,” he said.

Throughout the procession, the focus remained firmly on environmental awareness. Thousands of participants carried messages promoting a clean, green, and pollution-free Punjab. The Green Nagar Kirtans, Sant Seechewal said, have emerged as initiatives capable of transforming the image and destiny of the state.

A large truck in the procession displayed the Seechewal model, showcasing 25 years of work dedicated to raising groundwater levels and restoring the sacred Kali Bein river. Schoolchildren actively participated, holding placards with environmental messages. To mark Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 556th birth anniversary, 5,600 saplings were distributed as “green prasad.”

The Nagar Kirtan covered a 40-km route from Seechewal to Sultanpur Lodhi, drawing large participation from women devotees. Students from Sant Avtar Singh Memorial School contributed by collecting plastic bottles and waste along the route to promote cleanliness.

Sant Jeet Singh from Sirsa also joined the procession with his followers. Recalling his earlier assistance during the Baupur floods, when he had sent 16 tractors to help level farmers’ fields, he announced that devotees from three villages in Sirsa had joined the Nagar Kirtan. He further declared plans to assist flood-affected farmers in sowing wheat crops this season.