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Keekli Reporter, 20th December, 2014, Shimla
Sikh kids, youth, ladies, and senior citizens were present in large numbers at Ridge, Shimla to participate in the Marathon and blood donation camp, which was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Malhotra here today. Continuing the Sikh tradition, the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Shimla commemorated the martyrdom of their beloved ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’ in association with the Shimla Sikh Youth Spirit by organizing a six day event from 20th to 26th December, during which different programmes have been outlined by the Sabha for their community. The deputy commissioner lauded the efforts of the Sabha and said, that such cultural events help in bring the community together and also create awareness about our history and culture among children. He further added that by organizing the blood camp, another noble act was undertaken by the community. Singh Sabha President Jaswinder Singh, Vice President Harpal Singh, Secretary Narendar Pal Singh, Auditor Niranjan Singh, Principal Guru Harkishan Public School Gurpreet Kaur and Coordinator Manpreet Kaur were also present overseeing the smooth functioning of the events.
The morning began with the ribbon cutting by the DC, after which the blood camp commenced, followed by a light hearted talk and words of encouragement by the Deputy Commissioner with the children and all present. The Secretary, Narendar Pal Singh, then instructed all present about the Marathon run, which would begin from the Ridge up to the State Bank near AG Office and back after getting their hands stamped. A mark to indicate that the marathon was completed by the participants. He further added that it was not a competition but a celebration to honour the sacrifices made by the sacred spirits — ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’, the sons of 10th Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh — Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh. Soon after, the Dinesh Malhotra flagged off the marathon and appreciated the efforts of the community at doing a great serve towards mankind.
Char Sahibzade is a term endearingly used for the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh as they have been reverently preserved in Sikh memory and are recalled every time during Sikh ardas or prayers. The martyrdom of the four Sahibzaade is an important part of Sikh history and the occasion of their martyrdom is remembered and commemorated both with great vigour and very acute sadness, by large numbers of Sikhs, every year in December by the Sikh Sangat all across the nation.
Soon children of all age groups and elders returned after completing the marathon with full fervour and excitement. Aahar, Amrit, Bani, Prateek, Gurpreet, Prabnoor, Keerat, Japleen, Mannan, Angad, Simrat among others were all very happy as they finished their race and looked forward to the upcoming days wherein a number of activities were lined up for children and elders alike by the Singh Sabha.
By the end of the evening 70 units of blood was collected by the Sabha !!!
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