The city is all ready to host lakhs of devotees expected to attend the annual three-day Shaheedi Jor Mela starting on Saturday at Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup, to remember the sacrifice of the two younger sons (Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, 9, and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, 7) of Guru Gobind Singh who were bricked alive here on December 26, 1704, on the orders of then Sirhind governor Wazir Khan during the regime of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The commemoration will include ‘akhand paath’ (continuous recitation) of Guru Granth Sahib and a nagar kirtan from the Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup, about a mile to the east, in a decorated palanquin. “We are prepared for Shaheedi Jor Mela. We have deployed and briefed all teams.” said senior superintendent of police Jatinder Singh Khaira.
Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam said the city’s liquor shops would remain shut for three days. Special buses will carry senior citizens and women free of cost from all entry points to the venue.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar said the Sikh body would organise ‘Deewan’, where preachers, raagis (hymn singers), and dhadi jathas (ballad singers) would perform.
Politics comes in
Even though the spirit of Shaheedi Jor Mela is religious, leaders are ready as ever to add some political colour to it. Political parties have erected their stages at Fatehgarh Sahib for the conferences on Sunday (December 27). Punjab SM Parkash Singh Badal, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, and other senior Akali and BJP leaders are likely to address the SAD political conference.
