UK marks Guru Gobind Singh anniversary

Leading British Sikh leaders from across the UK came together for a special seminar to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in the British Parliament complex.
The seminar titled 'Life and teachings of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji' was organised by the High Commission of India in association with Indo-British All-Party Parliamentary Group on Thursday.
Members of Parliament, including Britains first turbaned Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, councillors and members of the Greater London Authority (GLA) joined senior representatives from gurudwaras and Sikh community organisations from across Britain to deliberate on the teachings of the 10th Sikh Guru.

Indian high commissioner to the UK, Y K Sinha described the scale of the celebrations, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shri Patna Sahib earlier this year, as "unprecedented" in the UK.
He told the gathering that Guru Gobind Singh fought against oppression and injustice and was a beacon of justice and harmony.
The Indian High Commission's celebrations of the "momentous year" have included a series of events, including visits to gurudwaras, Sikh devotional music at India House in London, creation of a special commemorative photo-exhibition in association with Victoria and Albert Museum, and large- scale Baisakhi celebrations in April attended by around 20,000 people.

Sinha said that, with financial support from Indias Ministry of Culture, the High Commission had also taken many of the events to cities outside London.
Labour MP Virendra Sharma used the occasion to seek support for his campaign calling on the British government to apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, revived by London mayor Sadiq Khan during a visit to Amritsar earlier this week.