SIKHS & MODI (A JOURNEY OF 9 YEARS) BY DR. PRABHLEEN SINGH [HARDCOVER]

Sikhism promotes tolerance for different religions, equality, social justice, and service to humanity. Sikhism's core teachings emphasize spiritual devotion and reverence for God, along with applying humility, compassion, honesty, and charity in daily life. Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji could foresee multiple issues our nation faced and advocated for preventing radicalization, promoting gender equality, and protecting the environment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in reverence for the teachings of Guru Nanak Ji and, in his umpteen addresses to the nation, has reiterated that the contributions of all the Gurus from the Sikh lineage remain unparalleled and cannot be matched up for the upcoming 1000 years. Their sacrifices for attaining the nation's independence are an excellent example of struggle and sacrifice against injustice.

It is through PM Modi that the nation, for the first time since the country's independence, became more aware of the varied forms of sacrifices made by the Sikh community and their countless contributions to sustaining the glory of the nation after partition. Inspired by courage and a sense of duty from the Sikh Gurus, he emulated it into the spirit of the New India.

The last decade has seen several noteworthy initiatives undertaken under his leadership to celebrate and promote the values of Sikhism and augment Sikh welfare. These include the celebration of the 400th Prakash Parv of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, the 550th Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the 350th Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the exemption of GST on Langar, the building of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, making Sultanpur Lodhi a heritage city, establishing a chair in the name of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at a British university, and the provision of facilities for Sikh pilgrims to travel to Pakistan.

The Kartarpur Corridor was opened in November 2019, which proved to be a momentous move towards making it more straightforward for Sikh pilgrims from India to go to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, where Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived out his final years. Additionally, the development and preservation of historic Sikh sites has been a particular priority for the PM Modi administration. One example of such a project is the Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib restoration, also known as the Patna Sahib Gurudwara, which is extremely sacred to Sikhs.