Adhere to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur's Human Concerns – Banwari Lal Purohit

Ludhiana, December 29, 2023: The book "Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur: The Saviour of Democratic Values," authored by Dr. Arvinder Singh Bhalla, Principal of Gujranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Ludhiana, was released today at Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh by Banwari Lal Purohit, the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh. 

Banwari Lal Purohit while recalling the sacrifices made by the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur for the defense of Indian traditions, human rights, and religious freedom expressed his strong belief that everyone should embrace the democratic way of life propagated by Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur. He said that presently there is a great need to take inspiration from the divine teachings, democratic concerns, and exemplary sacrifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur. He congratulated Principal Dr. Bhalla for this book. He praised Dr. Bhalla's persistent work and stated that this book will be very helpful in gaining a thorough understanding of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur's life, teachings, and contributions from social, cultural, religious, and political perspectives.

Satya Pal Jain, Ex-MP & Additional Solicitor General of India said that four hundred years ago, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur severely opposed the Aurangzeb's policy of religious fanaticism, political absolutism and intolerance.  He also gave the people hope to fight for their rights by sacrificing their life to protect religious freedom for all. Furthermore, Jain said that Dr. Bhalla's book incredibly valuable for those who are closely associated with the field of Sikh Studies. He also stated that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur’s contribution to the propagation of democratic ideas has been beautifully depicted by Dr. Bhalla in this book.

Dr. Bhalla said that in the seventeenth century, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur harshly condemned the policy of religious intolerance pursued by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur gave the supreme sacrifice to defend the idea of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, human rights, and a multicultural society. He encouraged the masses to adopt democratic ideals and democratic way of life. Additionally, he stated that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur's teachings are still highly relevant today. The teachings of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur must be embraced by the entire international community in light of the current circumstances. The eternal message, universal teachings, democratic concerns, and unparallel martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur have all been highlighted in this book.

Dr. Bhalla expressed his profound gratitude for the support and guidance he received from Dr. S. P. Singh, former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Padma Shri Dr. Harmohinder Singh Bedi, Chancellor of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh. It is worth mentioning that in addition to carrying out his administrative duties, Principal Dr. Bhalla is fully devoted to research. In addition to writing more than eighty research papers and fifteen books thus far, he has also successfully completed two research projects funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi (ICSSR).