CM Nayab Saini to Address Sant Namdev's 756th Prakash Utsav
Synopsis
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini will attend as chief guest at the annual religious conference marking Sant Namdev Ji Maharaj's 756th Prakash Utsav at Sant Namdev Bhawan, Sector-21, Chandigarh on 18 October 2026, the CMO announced.
Key Takeaways
Haryana CM Nayab Saini will be chief guest at Sant Namdev Ji Maharaj's 756th Prakash Utsav on 18 October 2026 .
The event is held at Sant Namdev Bhawan, Sector-21, Chandigarh .
The CMO framed the gathering as a platform to spread Sant Namdev's teachings of devotion, equality, humanity, and brotherhood .
Sant Namdev was a 13th–14th century Bhakti saint whose verses appear in the Guru Granth Sahib , revered across Maharashtra, Punjab, and Haryana.
Haryana BJP leadership has maintained regular engagement with Bhakti-saint observances as part of social-harmony outreach.
A 756-year-old message of devotion, equality, and brotherhood gets a fresh stage on 18 October 2026 — and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini will be the one carrying it forward. The Chief Minister's Office of Haryana announced on Saturday, 17 October that CM Saini will attend as chief guest at the annual religious conference marking Sant Namdev Ji Maharaj's 756th Prakash Utsav, held at Sant Namdev Bhawan, Sector-21, Chandigarh.
The CMO stated that the event will serve as an occasion to carry 'bhakti, samanta, manavta aur aapsi bhaichaare ke sandesh' — the teachings of devotion, equality, humanity, and mutual brotherhood — to every person. It is a characteristically vast mandate for a single evening's gathering, but then Sant Namdev was never a small figure.
Who Was Sant Namdev — and Why 756 Years Still Resonate
Sant Namdev Ji Maharaj was a 13th–14th century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement whose influence stretched from Maharashtra through Punjab and Haryana. His compositions found their way into the Guru Granth Sahib, making him one of the few saints venerated across both the Varkari tradition and the Sikh faith simultaneously. His core teachings — that caste and creed are irrelevant before devotion, that every human being carries the same divine spark — were radical in the medieval period and remain politically resonant today. The Namdev community, spread across northern and western India, holds these annual Prakash Utsav gatherings as an affirmation of that living tradition.Why Haryana's BJP Government Keeps This Platform Close
Haryana BJP leadership has maintained consistent, visible engagement with Bhakti-saint observances — a pattern common among state governments in northern India seeking to project messages of social harmony while broadening outreach to diverse caste and devotional communities. For a government whose constituency spans OBC groups, artisan communities, and the vast rural belt of Haryana, being present at a Sant Namdev event carries both cultural and social-coalition significance. CM Nayab Saini himself, as a BJP leader from an OBC background, has made social-harmony messaging a consistent thread in his public engagements since taking office. What the CM says at the podium on 18 October — whether he anchors the speech purely in devotional sentiment or gestures toward any social-harmony policy initiative — will be worth watching.Point of View
Cross-faith appeal makes them ideal political common ground. For a ruling party that must hold together a coalition spanning OBC communities, artisan groups, and rural Haryana, Sant Namdev's teachings of equality offer a culturally resonant, non-divisive platform. The CMO's emphasis on 'jan-jan tak' — reaching every person — signals that the occasion is as much about public outreach as it is about religious observance. Any policy references the CM makes on 18 October could sharpen or complicate that framing.
NationPress
17 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is Sant Namdev's 756th Prakash Utsav in Haryana?
The event is on 18 October 2026 at Sant Namdev Bhawan, Sector-21, Chandigarh .
Who is attending the Sant Namdev Prakash Utsav 2026 as chief guest?
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini will attend as the chief guest at the annual religious conference.
Who was Sant Namdev Ji Maharaj?
Sant Namdev was a 13th–14th century Bhakti movement poet-saint whose teachings on equality and devotion are revered across Maharashtra, Punjab, and Haryana; his compositions are part of the Guru Granth Sahib .
What is Prakash Utsav?
Prakash Utsav literally means 'festival of light' and refers to the birth anniversary celebration of a saint or religious figure, marked with prayer, discourse, and community gatherings.
Why does Haryana government participate in Sant Namdev events?
State governments in northern India, including Haryana's BJP government, regularly engage with Bhakti-saint observances to highlight messages of social harmony and reach diverse caste and devotional communities.
