Modi to address nation from Red Fort on Parkash Purab of Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the Red Fort on the 400th Parkash Purab of Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur on April 21, the Culture Ministry said Monday.

He will also release a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the occasion.

Four hundred 'ragis' (Sikh musicians) will perform in a 'Shabad Kirtan' to mark the auspicious occasion, the ministry said.

The programme will be organised by the ministry in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

Chief ministers of many states and several prominent personalities from across the country and abroad will be part of the celebrations, it said.

This programme on the 400th Parkash Purab (birth anniversary) of Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur is being organised as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said.

''Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up to the atrocities of the Mughals by protecting the freedom of dharmic faiths. He fought for the rights of Sikhs and Hindus, especially Kashmiri Pandits, to practice their faiths by opposing forcible conversions,'' he said.

''I have personally invited chief ministers of various states and prominent Sikh leaders including those from the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Patna Saheb and other leaders from prominent gurudwaras across the nation,'' Reddy said.

The Sikh faith revolves around the sacred bond of teacher and learner, Guru – the remover of darkness. For the Sikhs, the Guru refers to a succession of ten spiritual guides, the founding fathers of the Sikh faith. Guru Tegh Bahadur is the ninth Sikh Guru.

On the first day of the celebration on April 20, Home Minister Amit Shah will participate in the event and will also inaugurate a multimedia show ‘The Life and Sacrifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’ in the Red Fort.