Lucknow: The 547th birth anniversary of Guru Amar Das was celebrated with prayers and religious ceremonies across the city on Thursday. At Yahiyaganj Gurdwara, the premises were decorated with flowers, lights and yellow satin curtains and devotees sang kirtans. Priests Bhupendra Singh and Surendra Singh recited shabads, while Surendra Singh spoke about the guru’s life and teachings. “Born in 1479 in Amritsar Guru Amar Das became guru at the age of 73. He opposed practice of sati, advocated widow remarriage and gender equality and established 22 preaching centres for the Sikh faith.” A bhandara was organised for the public, followed by langar.At Mansarovar Gurudwara, head priest spoke about Guru Amar Das’s message of selfless service and equality. “Guru Amar Das promoted the practice of langar and raised his voice against social evils,” he said. ‘Kadaprasad’ and laddoos were distributed as prasad, and langar was served to devotees. Rajajipuram Gurudwara also saw a large turnout and devotees offered prayers, while missi roti and rajma chawal were served during the bhandara.A devotee in the gurudwara, Jatinder Singh Bagga, said, “Teachings of Guru Amar Das are still relevant in today’s society.” The celebrations ended with prayers for peace, harmony and collective well-being.
