Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan Leads Visionary Initiative to Mark 350th Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji with Global Outreach and Tech Integration

Chandigarh, June 7, 2025: Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has initiated a wide-ranging consultation with renowned scholars, professors, and artists to conceptualize a grand commemoration of the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. The meeting, held in Chandigarh, marks the beginning of a visionary plan to celebrate the legacy of the ninth Sikh Guru through global cultural outreach and cutting-edge digital formats.

During the meeting, academics and cultural figures presented an integrated proposal titled “Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji 350th Centenary: The Shield of Humanity.” The aim is to preserve Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s legacy of sacrifice, pluralism, and interfaith harmony while presenting it to a global audience through innovative mediums.

The participants emphasized that the commemorative initiatives must blend tradition with technology. Proposals included the development of a Virtual Museum of Religious Pluralism, AI-powered 3D walkthroughs, multilingual narration, and digital storytelling formats. These would recreate key moments from Guru Ji’s life including his travels, dialogues, and martyrdom with immersive, educational impact.

The proposal also called for animated short films, VR documentaries, and interactive educational resources to be developed and disseminated through schools, museums, and public platforms globally. These formats, they noted, would make Guru Ji’s spiritual and moral teachings more accessible to younger generations and international audiences alike.

Another major highlight is the planned trilingual commemorative book, titled “Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur: The Saint of Otherness”, to be published in Punjabi, Hindi, and English. The book would be designed as an aesthetically rich, interactive artifact that combines scholarship, design, and embedded multimedia content. It would serve as a lasting reference for global institutions, including universities, libraries, and museums.

Participants further suggested launching a Shabad and Classical Raga Series, with live concerts and digital streaming to engage music enthusiasts worldwide. A series of international conferences and symposia in collaboration with institutions like UNESCO, Harvard, and the Sikh Research Institutes is also proposed to spotlight Guru Ji’s role in championing freedom of belief and human dignity.

Emphasizing the importance of global outreach, the plan envisions these programs as more than commemorations they are positioned as calls to action. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan remarked that “this is not just about remembrance; it is about rekindling Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s message in today’s fractured world. Punjab must lead the way in redefining how martyrdom and pluralism are honored in the post-human era.”

Famous Punjabi actor Ammy Virk, alongside scholars such as Professor Amarjeet Singh Grewal, Professor Gurwinder Singh Bawa, and diaspora leader Ramandeep Singh Khatra, were among those present and contributing their expertise to the roadmap.

Speaker Sandhwan affirmed that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is committed to turning these ideas into reality and ensuring that the world rediscovers the message of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji not just in reverence, but in collective civic and moral action.