Government should issue visas to descendants of Rai Bular on occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Gurpurab: Dhami
Amritsar : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has sent invitations to four descendants of Rai Bular, an ardent devotee of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, living in Pakistan to visit India to attend the Prakash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) celebrations of the first Sikh Guru coming in the month of November.
In the invitation letter sent to four families including Rai Muhammad Salim Akram Bhatti, a descendant of Rai Bular, the SGPC said that the Prakash Gurpurb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on November 15, 2024 in Amritsar, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dera Baba Nanak, Batala, Delhi and Nanakmatta (Uttarakhand), so the descending family of Rai Bular should come to India between November 1 to 30, 2024 to participate in the Prakash Gurpurb celebrations of the Guru. The SGPC has also assured to arrange all the accommodation and travel expenses of these families upon their arrival in India.
In this regard, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that 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 Prakash Gurpurb celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev and also see the painting of Rai Bular Ji installed at Central Sikh Museum in Sri Harmandar Sahib as a memorial. He said that 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 Sri Guru Nanak Dev.
The SGPC President said that despite the fact that the SGPC had given invitation letters to this family several times and wrote to the government, they were not given Indian visas and now the government should seriously consider this time. He said that earlier in the year 2022, when Rai Bular’s painting was installed in the Central Sikh Museum, then also the SGPC had sent an invitation to the family to visit India on that occasion, but they could not come as Indian visas were not granted to them. The SGPC President expressed hope that this time the government will respect the sentiments of Sikhs by issuing visas to the descendants of Rai Bular Ji to visit India.
It may be mentioned that Mehta Kalyan Das, the father of Sri Guru Nanak Dev, worked for Rai Bular Ji. Rai Bular was an ardent devotee of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, who recognized the divine light in Guru at an early age. Rai Bular Ji gave thousands of acres of his property in the name of Sri Guru Nanak Dev, which is currently in the name of Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib.
Meanwhile, talking on 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 honor for him and his family.
