CHANDIGARH, APRIL 12: The Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria today extended warm greetings to all Punjabis living in country and abroad on the eve of Baisakhi.

In his message, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria said that Baisakhi has a multi-faceted importance. It marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest, a time of great joy for the farmers to reap the fruits of their hard labour.

The Governor further pointed out that this auspicious occasion has a special significance in the glorious history of Sikhism, as on this day in 1699, the 10th Guru of Sikhs, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the ‘Order of Khalsa’ at Sri Anandpur Sahib to fight against the tyranny of the Mughals and to protect human and secular ethos, and sacrificed his entire family for this cause.

Shri Kataria further said that this day also marked a watershed in our freedom movement in 1919 as many known and unsung martyrs sacrificed their lives on this day, in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, at the altar of freedom. This massacre gave a great impetus to the Independence movement.

The Governor appealed to the people to celebrate this festival collectively rising above considerations of caste, creed and religion in a spirit of harmony, social cohesion and National unity.