AI Generated Summary
- Even villages that had never heard of Guru Gobind Singh Ji are now aware of who the Sahibzadas were and the sacrifice they made at such a young age.
- Blaming the governments alone for this ignorance is not fair—it was the responsibility of Sikh religious committees to educate the masses, and they have completely failed in this task.
- In truth, the oil that burns in the lamps of Hindu temples is symbolic of the blood sacrificed by Guru Ji.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, who neither wore a tilak nor donned the sacred thread (janeu), sacrificed his life to protect the Hindu faith upon the plea of Kashmiri Pandits. Sadly, even after 350 years, many followers of Hinduism remain unaware of this historic truth. Blaming the governments alone for this ignorance is not fair—it was the responsibility of Sikh religious committees to educate the masses, and they have completely failed in this task. On the contrary, some fundamentalist-minded Sikhs have even begun to distort or deny this part of history.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji has always been called the “Hind Ki Chadar” (Shield of India) because, at that time, Hinduism was under severe threat. The atrocities of Aurangzeb had reached such a level that he was determined to make only one religion dominant in the land. Yet today, some extremists have begun calling Guru Ji the “Chadar of Humanity” or “Chadar of the Universe” instead of “Hind Ki Chadar”—a clear attempt to erase historical context. One must ask: Was the entire world in danger at that time? Was all of humanity under threat? Guru Ji saw Hinduism in peril and gave his life to protect it. So why the hesitation in calling him “Hind Ki Chadar”?
The government’s active role in commemorating the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji is a highly commendable step. This is largely due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who previously declared the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Sahibzadas to be commemorated nationwide as Veer Bal Diwas. As a result, even villages that had never heard of Guru Gobind Singh Ji are now aware of who the Sahibzadas were and the sacrifice they made at such a young age.
Now, the Prime Minister has appealed to central and state governments to organize the 350th martyrdom events in collaboration with religious committees at the official level. This gives us hope that the history of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s sacrifice—which Sikh leaders failed to communicate over 350 years—will finally reach every citizen of the country through government efforts.
People will finally come to understand that had it not been for Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, perhaps Hindu temples wouldn’t exist today, and the dominant religion in this country might have been different. In truth, the oil that burns in the lamps of Hindu temples is symbolic of the blood sacrificed by Guru Ji. Therefore, every citizen should honor his martyrdom and offer heartfelt tributes to him.
