People urged to follow in Guru Ramdas’ footsteps

The Gurpurab of Sri Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs and founder of Amritsar, was celebrated with religious fervour at Khalsa College campus by the Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) today. The students of Khalsa College of Physical Education (KCPE) performed Kirtan. This was followed by the Bhog of Sri Akhand Path.

The KCPE students recited Gurbani and Shabad in praise of Guru Ram Das, who founded Amritsar, which was originally known as Chak Ramdaspur. KCGC honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina congratulated all on the occasion and asked the Sangat to follow the righteous path shown by the Guru.

Sikh scholar Dr Inderjit Singh Gagoani shed light on the life and philosophy of the Guru. Gogoani said that Guru Ramdas was not just a Sikh Guru and poet but also led reforms in Sikh religion. He elaborated on the role of Guru Ramdas in establishing the organisational structure in Sikh religious institutions and in composing wedding hymns, ‘laavan’ in Raga Suhi that forms the basis of Sikh marriages (Anand Karaj). Guru Ramdas also founded Amritsar, the holiest of the cities in Sikh religion. On August 30, 1574, Guru Ramdas became the fourth Sikh Guru. “He has written 638 hymns in Guru Granth Sahib and composed 30 ancient ragas of Indian classical music. Guru Ramdas built upon the third Guru Amardas’s dream of establishing a township of Sikh religious community, around a holy pond. Guru Ramdas after he became the fourth Guru, ordered the excavation of a pond, which later became the ‘holy sarovar’ at the Golden Temple,” shared Gogoani.

He also expanded upon the manji system (the Constitution of Sikh religious administrators) to masand system, where Sikh religious representatives travelled and collected donations for charitable purposes and promoted Sikhism.