January

ACA LASITL turu Nanak Ji (right), the founder of Sikhism, was a 14 15 16 17 18 19 Gr leader who challenged the social, political is and religious prejudice, intolerance and hypocrisy ee ns ae bie of his times. Born in Punjab, 1469, he denounced divisions of.

TT 7) 3 4 5 6 7 ‘east, race, gender and religion within Indian society, preaching 4 simple message of universal love, peace and equality which ‘was rooted in a firm beliefin the oneness of God. He established code of living which advocated a remembrance of God in daily, life, honest living, charity and selfless service to others and was, the first often living teachers or Gurus of Sikhism, ‘Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1709) was the Teh Guru.

In 1699, against the religiouspersecution and tyranny of foreiun ©\_ Mughal rule in India, he established a community of saintsoldiers called the Khalsa who were dedicated to dofending the oppressed and fighting injustice ‘with the use of arms sanetioned asa last resort He gave the Khalsa a code of dross consisting of five articles of faith known asthe Panj Kakkeorfive K’s which remain an important visible statement of Sikh belief and i ‘commitment to the Khalsa principles of self sacrifice tity today, Because of his personal the was heralded by many as the ultimate role model for | future generations of Indian freedom fighters and hymns by not only the preceding selected Muslim and Hindu saints.

Main Image: From the Magasin Pittoresque, 1836. Detail: Reading The Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1846,