Anandpur Sahib: Historic city resonates with spirituality, modernity

Nestled between the empowering Takht Kesgarh Sahib, one of Sikhism’s five sacred Takhts that holds spiritual significance as the birthplace of the Khalsa Panth, and the revered Mata Naina Devi Temple, the Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial Centre hosted a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Punctuated with political overtones, a makeshift assembly hall with an entry gate replicating the Le Corbusier-designed Vidhan Sabha at Chandigarh’s sweeping portico, was created to give shape to the historical moment. It is for the first time that assembly was held outside Chandigarh, since 1961.

Officials, who burnt midnight oil to recreate the Assembly, said all efforts went to designing the halls. Specially ordered chairs were set up and sitting arrangements were made to give the momentous event the desired religious and spiritual fervor — without losing the spirit of assembly sessions.

For a change, the assembly hall was bedecked with white chrysanthemum flowers.

In another first, spouses of the legislators, MPs, apart from heads of religious sects, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, were part of the gathering that paid reverence to Guru Tegh Bahadur on his 350 th martyrdom anniversary.

However, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership gave the event a miss.

As a mark of respect for the Gurus, some of the MLAs covered their heads with handkerchief. One of youngest legislators, Dr Ishaan Chabbewal, sported a turban. Spiritual colour drenched the three-hour long session and the sound of Jaikara reverberated in the Assembly. Replying to critics for holding the Assembly session outside Chandigarh at the cost of the state exchequer, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said funds should never be an issue when it comes to commemorating and propagating the sacrifice of the Gurus.

The session was part of the three-day event from November 23 to 25 to commemorate Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom in 1675. As it concluded, the gathering shifted to a light-and-show laser show at Virasat-e-Khalsa, as the day slipped into the evening. It was an interactive journey blending virtual storytelling with real-world surroundings to portray key episodes from the life of the ninth Guru.