Guru Nanak Gur Purab

By JharnaShahani

SikhFestivals are celebrated as ‘Gur Purabs’.Guru Nanak Gur Purab, one of the most important and most celebrated festivalsfor Sikhs, Sindhis and Punjabis marks a 5-day celebration of colours, langar (food) gurbani(devotional music) and crowd as much as it symbolizes worship and spirituality.

Thebirth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion, generally falls in the month of November- the date varying according to the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated with a lotof zeal and zest, the celebrations being initiated 4-5 days prior to the event.

Earlymorning processions called ‘prabhatpheris, are the first signs of the approaching Gur Purab, where the GuruGranth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) is carried on a Palkhi

(palanquin),flanked by the Nishan Sahib (the SikhFlag), with brassbands playing tunes and reciting hymns from Sikh scriptures. An evening Pheri is led prior to the Purab day too. Besides, a 48-to-60 hour recitation of the sacred religious textfrom the Granth Sahib called the ‘Akhand Path’ is a norm at all Gurudwaras (the Sikh temple).

The entire Gurudwara and its surroundings are brilliantly lit right from the approach road to the temple. The sight fills the air with festivity and is naturally beckoning. 

Theserene beauty of the interiors of the Gurudwara lies inits spacious environs and the beautifully decorated and revered Manji Sahib (an elevated platform in the temple),which houses the sacred Sikh text – The GuruGranth Sahib. During Gur Purab,the décor of the Manji Sahib isenhanced in such a way that one is attracted to it and naturally receptive tothe aura of the Godliness that prevails.

Freshflowers, colourful streamers, lights, decorative motifs and festoons etc.,grace the platform in all their splendour – the ultimate attention beinggrabbed by the Rumala (the silkencloth that reverently covers the GuruGranth Sahib). Extra care is taken to see that the Rumala is of festive material and pattern, edged with decorativegold or silver lace, at times metallic hues, at others subtle and elegant; anda new and more festive one graces the GranthSahib everyday.

Asa regular visitor to a few Gurudwarasduring this festive period, I have noted an encouraging trend as the years havepassed by. This year, with the increased awareness of global warming andpollution control, Gyanijis (the headadministrator of the gurudwara) ofmany Gurudwaras have consciouslyabandoned fresh-flower decor and opted for re-usable paper streamers, rope andother decorative lights, net and synthetic material etc., to decorate the Manji Sahib.  They propose to recycle this for next year’sdecoration.

Often,very vibrant coloured lights and shimmer materials are used to decorate the entiretemple. At some Gurudwaras, thedecoration is kept very subtle and classy by not using shimmer materials andstreamers; rather, they use more of gold or silver material and pastel colours,which distinctively are a class apart.

Blackand white colours are regarded as symbols of sorrow in the Sikh and Sindhitraditions and thus avoided for decorations during happy occasions.

Thedecorations for Gur Purab may not beas elaborate as other Hindu festivals but they surely increase the charm of theGurudwara and its reverence quotient.