The News Freedom
Chandigarh, January 29
Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Lal Chand Kataruchak on Thursday flagged off a special train carrying devotees to Varanasi to mark the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji.
The train departed from the city railway station, with the ministers urging people to follow the path of equality and universal brotherhood taught by Sri Guru Ravidas Ji to help build an inclusive society.
The programme was attended by Lok Sabha MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Chabbewal MLA Dr Ishank Kumar, former minister Balkar Singh, Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh and Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank chairman Pawan Kumar Tinu. All joined the devotees in observing the occasion with devotion.
Addressing the gathering after seeking blessings from Sant Niranjan Dass Ji of Dera Ballan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, would observe the 650th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji on a large scale.
He said statewide programmes focusing on the life, teachings and travels of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji would be organised, adding that a detailed roadmap had been finalised by a Cabinet sub-committee.
Mr Cheema also said a sale deed had been signed for setting up a dedicated research centre for the study of the bani of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji, describing the Guru’s message of equality and social justice as timeless.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said the state government was committed to shaping a society guided by the teachings of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji and would ensure that the 650th Parkash Purab celebrations were held in a “befitting and historic manner”.
Extending greetings on the 649th Parkash Purab, Mr Kataruchak said Sri Guru Ravidas Ji had envisioned a social order free from discrimination and hardship, and that the Punjab government was taking sustained steps for the welfare of weaker sections of society.