International seminar on Guru Tegh Bahadur opens in New Delhi

Scholars, writers and leaders gathered at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan in New Delhi as part of an international seminar to mark the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The inaugural session of the seminar organised by the National Institute of Punjab Studies and the Department of Punjabi, University of Delhi, was attended by former President Ram Nath Kovind, MP Manish Tewari, author-diplomat Navtej Sarna, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kulwant Singh Sandhwan, and a roomful of academics and university students.

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was executed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after he refused to abandon his principles while defending Kashmiri Pandits facing persecution.

His death marked one of the most significant acts of moral resistance in Indian history. His followers were tortured and killed before him, yet he stayed firm, a moment that later inspired the creation of the Khalsa.

Addressing the gathering, Kovind said the Guru’s life remained a lighthouse for India. Kovind recalled his own engagement with Sikh history, including his visits to Patna Sahib and the role Bihar played during Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.

“India has always drawn strength from saints and sages,” he said. The Guru’s teachings, he added, offer lessons in courage and compassion at a time of societal strain.

Kovind described Guru Tegh Bahadur as a “saint-warrior” whose actions safeguarded a core civilisational belief, that is, freedom of conscience.

He urged that the Guru’s message reached younger generations through writing, art and digital work. “His sacrifice renewed India’s moral fabric,” he said. Former diplomat and author Navtej Sarna placed the martyrdom in historical and philosophical context.

Sarna said the tradition of martyrdom began with Guru Arjan Dev but reached an unparalleled height with Guru Tegh Bahadur. “He chose the path he knew he had to walk,” Sarna said, describing the Guru’s decision to travel to Delhi fully aware of the consequences.

“The body may be imprisoned, but the spirit stays free,” he said.

Sarna emphasised that the Guru’s death was “not for his own community alone,” but for the principle that no ruler could dictate matters of belief.

He also recounted the executions of Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dayala, calling them acts that revealed “spiritual bravery beyond physical suffering”.

Sandhwan centred his remarks on the relevance of the Guru’s message today. Speaking in Hindi and Punjabi, he said the Guru’s stand teaches society to resist division.

“We start disliking people because of clothes or food,” he said. “The Guru’s sacrifice shows a different way,” he said highlighting the Guru’s willingness to approach the oppressor voluntarily, a choice he called “unique in the world”.

He praised Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan for creating a space where the Guru’s universal teachings could be revisited with depth and seriousness. “Keeping this message alive is our collective duty,” he said.

Throughout the gathering hosted by Mohinder Singh, Director General of National Institute of Punjab studies, the focus remained on the enduring resonance of a martyrdom that continues to shape Indian thought.

Speakers noted that Guru Tegh Bahadur’s final moments — calm, self-possessed and rooted in his faith represent a rare example of non-violent resistance against authoritarian power.

The event ended with a shared call to revisit the Guru’s ideas on equality, empathy and moral courage.

For many present, the 350-year-old story felt strikingly contemporary, a reminder that the defence of another person’s freedom can sometimes demand the highest personal cost.