Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
- Recently, Punjab Police has proposed to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that the birth anniversary (Gurpurab) of Guru Nanak Dev be declared as ‘World Pedestrian Day’ to spread awareness on road safety.
- In 2021, Guru Nanak’s 552nd Gurpurab will be celebrated on 19th November.
Important points:
- To spread the message of oneness and to break barriers across faiths by engaging in spiritual dialogues, Guru Nanak Dev, travelled far and wide during the 15th and 16th centuries.
- It is believed that during those times, when early modes of transport were limited and were mostly restricted to boats, animals (horses, mules, camels, bullock carts), Guru Nanak Dev, along with his companion Bhai Mardana, undertook most part of his journeys on foot.
- From Mecca to Haridwar, from Sylhet to Mount Kailash, he visited hundreds of interfaith sites related to Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Jainism throughout his journeys (also called udaasis).
- At some sites, gurdwaras were constructed to commemorate his visit. 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.
SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT
