On the Jyoti-Jot Diwas — the commemoration of the passing of the Third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das Ji — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered his reverence on Saturday, 26 September 2026, honouring a towering figure of spiritual and social reform whose legacy spans over four centuries.

Posting in Hindi, CM Yogi described Guru Amar Das Ji as an 'amar samvahak' — an immortal bearer — of humanity, service, social harmony, and spiritual awakening. He wrote that the Guru's divine message of eradicating social evils 'aaj bhi sampurna manavta ke liye preranapunj hai' — 'remains a beacon of inspiration for all of humanity even today.'

Who was Guru Amar Das Ji — and why his message endures

Guru Amar Das Ji served as the Third Guru of the Sikh faith from 1552 to 1574, ascending to the Guruship at the age of seventy-three. He is credited with institutionalising the langar (community kitchen) as a cornerstone of Sikh practice — a radical act of equality that required all visitors, regardless of caste or status, to sit and eat together before seeking an audience with the Guru.

He campaigned actively against sati — the practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre — and purdah, the veiling and seclusion of women, at a time when such stands were deeply countercultural. His institutional reforms, including appointing women as preachers and organising the Sikh community into regional manjis (districts), gave the young faith a durable social architecture. These are precisely the 'divine messages against social evils' CM Yogi's tribute references.

Yogi Adityanath's outreach to Sikh commemorations

The tribute is part of a consistent pattern: CM Yogi Adityanath regularly marks the commemoration days of Sikh Gurus with formal public messages, weaving themes of social reform and inter-community harmony into Uttar Pradesh's political calendar. The state is home to a significant Sikh community, particularly in districts along the western and northern belt, and such gestures of religious acknowledgement carry both cultural and political resonance.

By foregrounding Guru Amar Das Ji's reformist legacy — the fight against caste discrimination, the elevation of women, the ethic of selfless service — the Chief Minister frames the tribute not merely as a religious courtesy but as an alignment with values the ruling establishment presents as central to governance.

Four centuries on, the Guru who made kings sit on the ground before breaking bread remains a living argument for human dignity. That argument, CM Yogi suggests, is still very much in progress.