AMRISTAR, Jul 29 : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday said it has sent invitations to four descendants of Rai Bular, an ardent devotee of Guru Nanak Dev living in Pakistan, to visit India to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh Guru in November.
In the invitation letter sent to four families, including Rai Muhammad Salim Akram Bhatti, a descendant of Rai Bular, the SGPC said the ‘Parkash Gurpurb’ of Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on November 15 in Amritsar, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dera Baba Nanak, Batala, Delhi and Nanakmatta (Uttarakhand).
The descendant family of Rai Bular should come to India between November 1 and 30 to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh Guru, the SGPC invite said.
The SGPC has also assured to arrange the accommodation and travel expenses of these families upon their arrival in India.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the government should issue visas to the descendants of Rai Bular and allow them to visit India so that they can come here and participate in the Gurpurab celebrations and also see the painting of Rai Bular installed at central Sikh museum at the Golden Temple complex.
Dhami said Rai Bular’s family has a mutually respectful relationship with the Sikhs because Rai Bular’s place in history is important as an ardent devotee of Guru Nanak Dev.
The SGPC chief said despite the fact that it had given invitation letters to this family several times and wrote to the government, they were not given visas and now the government should seriously consider this time.
He said earlier in the year 2022, when Rai Bular’s painting was installed in the museum, then also the SGPC had sent an invitation to the family to visit India on that occasion, but they could not come as visas were not granted to them.
The SGPC chief expressed hope that this time the government will respect the sentiments of Sikhs by issuing visas to the descendants of Rai Bular to visit India.
Mehta Kalyan Das, father of Guru Nanak Dev, worked for Rai Bular.
He was an ardent devotee of Guru Nanak Dev and recognised the divine light in Guru at an early age.
Rai Bular gave thousands of acres of his property in the name of Guru Nanak Dev, which is currently in the name of Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib.
Meanwhile, talking to PTI over phone, Rai Muhammad Salim Bhatti confirmed his visit to India subject to visa granted by the government of India.
He said he and his family members were very keen to visit India as it was a matter of honour for him and his family. (PTI)
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