Guru Gobind Singh's 354th Prakash Purab at Lucknow's Mansarovar Gurdwara in 2021
Every year Sikhs celebrate the birth anniversary, or Prakash Purab, of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. On January 20, 2021, the 354th Prakash Purab, VoxyTalksy visited the Mansarovar Gurdwara in Sector D, LDA Colony, on Kanpur Road in Lucknow.
What the video shows
The video was uploaded on January 20, 2021, the day of the celebration. The reporter speaks to children, young people and women at the gurdwara. They describe doing seva by packing and serving langar, a nagar kirtan in which small children dressed as the Panj Pyare, and a visiting raagi jatha singing kirtan into the night, with langar to follow. Devotees explain why the day matters to them, recalling the Guru's sacrifices, and say people of every background come to the gurdwara and eat together in the langar. With the COVID-19 pandemic still under way, some mention the precautions taken and that vaccination in India had just begun.
Guru Gobind Singh in brief
- He was born in Patna in 1666 and became Guru at the age of nine, after his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed in Delhi in 1675.
- In 1699, at Anandpur Sahib, he founded the Khalsa and initiated the first Panj Pyare.
- He fought several battles against Mughal and hill-state forces; his four sons died during his lifetime, two in battle and the two youngest executed at Sirhind.
- Before his death at Nanded in 1708, he declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru of the Sikhs.
- He was also a poet; writings in the Dasam Granth are attributed to him.
Why the date changes
The Prakash Purab follows the lunar calendar (Poh Sudi Saptami), so its date on the Gregorian calendar shifts each year, usually falling in late December or January. Gurdwaras announce the date in advance.
How the day is observed
- Akhand Path, a continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, often ends on the day.
- A nagar kirtan, led by the Panj Pyare, is taken out a day or two earlier.
- Kirtan darbars run late into the night, followed by langar open to all.
- Gurdwaras are lit up, and many families join seva in the community kitchen.
Visiting a gurdwara
Visitors of any faith are welcome. Cover your head, remove shoes, wash hands and feet, avoid tobacco and alcohol, and sit on the floor in the langar hall. Offering an hour of seva, from washing utensils to serving food, is the best way to understand the spirit of the day.
Lucknow's Sikh community, including the historic Yahiyaganj Gurdwara, keeps these celebrations alive every year, and this 2021 video records one such evening.
