NEW YORK: Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu visited the Hicksville Gurdwara in Long Island, New York to celebrate the occasion of Gurpurab with the Sikh community.
He offered prayers at the Gurdwara and he was felicitated by the Sikh community.
“Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, and equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all,” Sandhu posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Today is a very special day for me to come here to Guru Nanak’s Gurdwara and get the blessing here on this auspicious day. I am thankful to the management of the Gurdwara for inviting me” the Ambassador said in his address to the gathering. “For those of us in the US if we study our religious legacy from the Guru’s time he alway spoke for progressive thought, if we implement that in our lives it will be very good. The message of oneness, unity of truth, honest and virtous living is a message for us and for us to implement in our lives” he added.
During the occasion, Ambassador Sandhu praised the Sikh community from Afghanistan who have kept their heritage alive despite facing severe times.
“We need to learn from the heritage that we have received…The Sikhs who came from Afghanistan, have faced hard times…The Sikhs have a very old link with Afghanistan. Guru Nanak and many other Gurus had gone to Afghanistan,” Sandhu said at the event. He added, “They have shown in actual practice how adversity should be faced. They faced the worst kind of adversity, but they protected their religion in its original form”.
Ambassador Sandhu also visited and offered prayers at Sri Guru Ravidass Temple in New York on the occasion.
“Guru Nanak Dev ji’s timeless message of equality & universal oneness in the well-known Shabad of Guru Ravidass. “You are me, and I am You — there is no difference between us!”Paid my respects at Sri Guru Ravidass Temple in New York,” Sandhu stated in a subsequent post.
Earlier on Sunday, the Indian envoy also attended the farewell ceremony of India’s current consul general in New York, Randhir Jaiswal at an event organised by the Indian community in Long Island.
Randhir Jaiswal, who will head towards his new assignment as the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs received a warm reception by the Indian community. (ANI)