UPSC Articles
Proposal to declare Guru Purab as ‘World Pedestrian Day’
Part of: Prelims and GS-I – History
Context Recently, Punjab Police has proposed that the birth anniversary (Gurpurab) of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev be declared as ‘World Pedestrian Day’.
Why was it proposed?
- Guru Nanak Dev as the world’s most notable and revered pedestrian
- In a period of 24 years (1500-1524), Guru Nanak traveled in all directions to show the path of love, equality, humanity, and selfless service to mankind.
- Most of his journeys were made on foot with his companion Bhai Mardana.
- Later his travels were documented in texts called ‘janamsakhis’.
- These sites are now spread across nine nations as per current geographical divisions — India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, China (Tibet), Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
Do you know?
- In these journeys, he preached the new concept of God as “Supreme, All powerful and Truthful, Formless (Nirankar), Fearless (Nirbhau), Without hate (Nirvair), the Sole (Ik), the Self-Existent (Saibhang), the Incomprehensible and Everlasting creator of all things (Karta Purakh), and the Eternal and Absolute Truth (Satnam)”.
- His writings, in the form of 974 spiritual hymns were incorporated in the scripture Guru Granth Sahib by the fifth Guru Arjan Dev ji.
News source: IE
