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New Delhi : Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal launched three books on Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, University of Delhi, on November 7, 2019, on the occasion of 550thBirth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The National Book Trust under Ministry of HRD has published three Punjabi titles – Guru Nanak Bani, Nanak Bani, and Sakhian Guru Nanak Dev, to spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev. The title Guru Nanak Bani published in Urdu, Odia, Marathi, Hindi, and Gujarati were also released on the occasion. The translation in Assamese, Bangla, Kannada, Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Sindhi, and English has been taken up.
Addressing the gathering, Pokhriyal congratulated National Book Trust for bringing out the books on this occasion which are relevant in these times as the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev are apt in today’s world of complexities and the youth world over need to follow his philosophy of humanity, equality, and ‘One God’. Pokhriyal also informed that in addition to the Guru Nanak Dev Chairs in Indian Universities, the Government has announced Guru Nanak Dev Chairs in Universities in United Kingdom as well as in Canada, according to a PIB release.
He also informed that many programmes, seminars, discussions, discourses and book release functions are being coordinated world over by Indian missions abroad as well. The HRD Minister also announced that an Inter faith Center will be set up at Guru Nanak Dev University in Punjab at a cost of Rs 493 crore.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal expressed her happiness knowing that National Book Trust had already published Guru Nanak Bani in five Indian languages and was planning to publish it in 15 Indian languages so that the teachings of Guru Nanak Devji reach millions of Indians across the nation and everyone benefits from his message of ‘One God’ and peace amongst the fellow beings.
On this occasion President of Delhi SGPC Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Principal of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College Dr Jaswinder Singh, former Rajya Sabha Member and currently Chairman, Governing Body of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, S Tarlochan Singh, and former Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University Patiala Dr Jaspal Singh were also present.
The book titled Guru Nanak Bani, compiled by Bhai Jodh Singh, has collected various verses from the original Bani of Guru Nanak Dev and collated them theme-wise. The writings of Guru Nanak Dev have relevance in the current scenario as they play the role of beacon to the disillusioned. The book Nanak Bani (compiled by Manjit Singh) is a collection of five prominent writings (paanch bania) of Guru Nanak Dev. The ‘Janamsakhis’ literally meaning birth stories, are writings which profess to be the biographies of Guru Nanak. Sakhian Guru Nanak (compiled by Jagtarjit Singh) is a book based on the life stories of Guru Nanak Dev. This is an illustrated book especially meant for children.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the PM Narendra Modi, had passed a Resolution in November 2018, to celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 2019, throughout the country and across the globe, in a grand and befitting manner along with State Governments and the Indian Missions abroad. One of the highlights of the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting was that the National Book Trust, India, will publish Gurbani in different Indian languages. UNESCO will publish Guru Nanak Dev’s writings in major world languages.