Guru Nanak's 550th anniversary celebrations culminate with grand event in UK

A grand event at the historic Guildhall complex in the City of London marked the culmination of the UK's celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion.

The event, which included the rendition of shabad kirtan as well as a screening of a special film on Guru Nanak's messages of peace and universal brotherhood, brought together members of the British Sikh diaspora and ministers from India and the UK in London on Thursday.

This event marked the culmination of year-long celebrations in UK of Baba Nanak and his teachings, said V. Muraleedharan, the minister of state for external affairs, the chief guest at the event organised by the Indian High Commission in London.

The celebration of this anniversary in India, the UK and indeed around the world with such great fervour is a reaffirmation of Guru Nanak Devji's powerful message of humanity and truthfulness, said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

His teachings have a timeless relevance and therefore it is extremely appropriate that the government of India has decided to celebrate this very auspicious occasion with enormous enthusiasm. The world needs to remember these teachings today when we are facing so much of violence, extremism, terrorism, radicalisation in so many societies across the globe, she said.

The event explored the concept of encouraging dialogue between different faiths, as propagated by the founder of the Sikh religion, and celebrated various steps taken to mark the anniversary, including the launch of a new London-Amritsar direct flight earlier this year.

This celebration is a reflection of the rich diversity of faith, community and culture which defines our modern United Kingdom today, said Lord Tariq Ahmad, the minister for Commonwealth affairs in the UK Foreign Office, who reminisced about his own family's roots in Gurdaspur.

The minister hailed the contributions of the British Sikh community, reiterating UK government backed plans for a new Sikh war memorial to be set up in the heart of London to honour Sikh military service as part of the British Empire during the World Wars.

British Sikhs contribute in so many ways to British life and will continue to be instrumental in strengthening the diaspora's Living Bridge between the UK and India, he said.