PM releases commemorative coins to mark 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

Bangkok, November 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Guru Nanak not only belonged to Sikhs but his ideas were a heritage of the entire world and humanity, as he hailed the direct connectivity that will be established with Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan on November 9.

At an Indian diaspora event here, he also released commemorative coins to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary and a Thai translation of Thirukurral, a Tamil classic.

“Nanak not only belonged to Sikhism but his ideas are a heritage of the entire world and humanity,” Modi said.

“It is our responsibility to share the benefit of our heritage with the entire world,” he said.

“You would know that in a few days direct connectivity is going to be established with Kartarpur Sahib. On November 9 after the Kartarpur Corridor opens, Indian pilgrims will directly be able to visit Kartarpur Sahib,” he said.

“I request you to come to India with family and experience Guru Nanak’s heritage,” he said.

The Indian government for the last year across globe has been holding events to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Modi said.

India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake visa-free visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of the Sikh religion’s founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in the bilateral ties over Kashmir.

The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life.

Last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur Corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib—the final resting place of Guru Nanak—in Pakistani town of Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. — PTI