Kishan Reddy pays tribute to Guru Ramdas Ji on Prakash Parv
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
On the auspicious occasion of the Prakash Parv of Guru Ramdas Ji, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy offered his reverential tribute to the fourth Guru of Sikhism, invoking the timeless values of equality, selfless service, humility, and compassion that Guru Sahib embodied.
In his post, Kishan Reddy wrote: 'सेवा, भक्ति और समरसता के प्रतीक' — 'a symbol of service, devotion and harmony' — bowing in reverence to Guru Ramdas Ji on his sacred birth anniversary. He described the Guru's eternal teachings as a continuing inspiration for all of humanity.
The Guru who built Amritsar
Guru Ramdas Ji (1534–1581), the fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus, holds a singular place in both religious and civic history. It was he who founded the city of Amritsar in 1574, establishing it as the spiritual and cultural heartland of the Sikh faith. The sacred pool he commissioned would eventually become the site of the Harmandir Sahib — the Golden Temple — drawing millions of pilgrims every year.
His compositions, enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib, carry his voice across centuries. The Laavan — the Sikh wedding hymns he authored — remain central to Anand Karaj ceremonies to this day. Service without ego. Equality without condition. These were not aspirations for Guru Ramdas Ji; they were a practice.
A national tradition of Gurpurb acknowledgement
Kishan Reddy's tribute follows a well-established pattern in Indian political life: leaders across party lines mark the birth anniversaries of the Sikh Gurus as occasions of shared national heritage. The values the Gurus championed — seva (service), simran (devotion), sangat (community) — are routinely invoked as cornerstones of India's composite culture.
As BJP's Telangana state president and a senior Union Minister, Reddy's message reaches both a national audience and the significant Sikh diaspora community that looks to such acknowledgements as gestures of respect and inclusion.
Centuries after Guru Ramdas Ji laid the foundation of Amritsar, his call to serve without seeking — to kneel before none but the Divine and stand beside all — still echoes louder than most modern proclamations ever will.