A Melbourne tribute to Guru Nanak Dev

The city was lit up in honour of the founder of the Sikh faith, on the occasion of his 550th birth anniversary

In a bid to observe 'the biggest celebration outside India' for Guru Nanak Devji’s 550th anniversary, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews supported the Sikh communities of Victoria with a grant of $200,000 to hold special events.

Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Sikh community with over 52,000 Sikhs recorded in 2016 census. Guru Nanak Dev is the first guru and founder of the Sikhism, and the community marked the celebration of his birth with great pomp and devotion.

In honour of the occasion, buildings and landmarks around Melbourne were lit in saffron on 12 November this year. This included the iconic Bolte Bridge, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Arts Centre, Flinders Street station, National Gallery of Victoria and AAMI stadium.

The lights recognised the spiritual light of Guru Nanak and the path shown by him to unite the community and serve humanity.

Sikh community groups from various parts of Victoria pitched in to commemorate this scared occasion with a series of activities. These included a humanity walk organised by Victorian Sikh Gurudwara Council in the Melbourne CBD with thousands of people participating.

Premier Andrews attended the event sporting a saffron turban and offered his heartiest congratulations to the Sikh community on the auspicious occasion. He also commended the community for their contribution to the multicultural fabric of Victoria and thanked them for the ‘multitude of ways in which they make Victoria better, fairer and more generous.’ The Premier also addressed a select group of Sikh representatives at the Victorian Parliament.

The Nagar Kirtan (holy procession) saw people in the most beautiful colours walking down the main CBD area singing hymns and chanting prayers. It was an unusual sight for many who may not have known the significance of the sacred day or are unfamiliar with the religion and its philosophy.

A similar humanity walk also took place in Geelong where people walked from Rippleside Park to Steampacket Gardens in a similar fashion. A multicultural parade in Bendigo along with the display of a special commemorative plaque built for the occasion and special celebrations by Guru Nanak Sikh Society in Shepparton formed part of the regional celebrations.

An organ donation and blood donation drive on a massive scale, an art exhibition based on the teachings of the Guru at RMIT and a literary function by Punjabi Sath Melbourne were among the events held in and around the city. The local Gurudwaras (places of worship) at Blackburn, Keysborough, Craigieburn, Tarneit, Campbellfield, Lynbrook and Hoppers Crossing marked the occasion with special prayer sessions and langar (devotional food served free to all).

Simmi Singh