By Pardeep Luthra ,Batala (Gurdaspur ) Punjab, Sept 3:- The people from all walks of life are busy in preparations for three-day religious celebrations in connection with the marriage anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, first Guru of the Sikhs.
Devotees from different parts of the country and across have descended on this Historic and Industrial town and paid obeisance in gurdwaras, built where the marriage ceremony of Guru Nanak Dev with Bibi Sulakhni , a daughter of Mool Raj Khatri is said to have taken place 524 years ago in 1487 .
The Devotees from abroad like Australia, Italy, Canada, England and Germany have also come in large numbers and are going from one gurdwara ( a sikh temple ) to another to pay their obeisance. The Women have been singing marriage songs (satire ) in a traditional manner to welcome the marriage party ( Barat) specially .The devotees from here to join as a Barati of Guru Nanak Dev, which left Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district in Punjab today morning in the shape of a Nagar Kirtan ( a religious procession) for this town from to Ber Sahib Gurdwara of Sultanpur Lodhi , is expected to reach here late in the evening today.
The local administration has made Massive arrangements in the town and entire city has been decorated tastefully with lights and flowers and a series of 101 Akand path of Guru Granth sahib have been started across the town and the bhog ceremony of these Akand Paths would be performed on Sunday morning ( e i on the day of marriage anniversary).
Kulwant Singh Zaffarwal , Manager, Gurudwara Kandh Sahib said,” Thousands of the congregation have left for Sultanpur Lodhi who will be joining the marriage procession . The Procession will be arriving back with other devotees here in the evening . The Devotees on their own made special arrangements for their boarding the loadings on the way of marriage procession.
Meanwhile, Punjab Police has made elaborated security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the marriage anniversary procession which would be started from Gurudwara Dera sahib ( where the Guru Nanak marriage party was stayed during his marriage ) and marriage procession would be terminated at ( Gurudwara Kand sahib where his marriage was solemnized after passing through main Bazaars of town.
GurKirpal Singh, SSP Batala said that an odd 1123 police personnel from Mahjitha, Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot police districts have been deployed on the duty and total of 77 special nakas have been put up on each and every entry of the town which would work around the clock. Besides , 3 Superintendent of Police, 8 DSP s, 17 Inspectors and 146 NGO’s have been deployed on the duty to maintain law and order situation .
He said that police has also set up a special control room and town has been divided into 7 sectors and each sectors would be supervised by a DSP rank police officer.
\However, he himself would watch each and every moment personally because for the first time, police has arranged to set up the video cameras to view the all activities all over the town.
On the other hand, health department also made special arrangements in case of any eventually for this purpose.
Senior Medical officer Dr. Sukhdeep Singh told that ten medical teams have been pressed into the service and each team which includes a doctor , pharmacist, nurse, a class four employee and a driver with an ambulance.
One of such medical team would accompany the marriage procession on the way of marriage procession and eight of them teams would deploy on different points of the town and remaining one team would be stationed at emergency ward in Civil hospital.
The district administration has declared September 4 as dry day and all country and Indian made foreign liquor vends were remained closed .