To commemorate Guru Tegh Bahadur's 400th birth anniversary, The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib organized a two-day annual Sant Samagam in memory of Sant Attar Singh Ji Mastuana at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, New Delhi on 13-14 February 2021. The Kalgidhar Society in collaboration with a visual artist duo Thukral and Tagra presented interactive, informative, and insightful Game - ‘Gur ka Noor Awaaz Banenda’ - an interactive tongue-twister play of words based on the life-journey of the ninth Guru of Sikhism, for individuals of all age groups. The poetic expression for the game in Punjabi for "Gur ka Noor Awaaz Banenda" is written with an artistic point of view by Harmanjeet Singh (Rani Tatt.)
Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed himself for the freedom of the people in order to uphold human rights. He fought against forced conversion and religious persecution for which he was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1675. A fearless warrior and a spiritual leader, he dedicated his life in the service of people irrespective of their religion, gender, caste or race. His selfless sacrifice is remembered today as an unparalleled act of humanitarianism.
How to play: Player A started the game by reciting Frame #1 in a single breath. Player B repeated the same text and this activity was repeated till Frame #5. With the duration of 4-5 minutes, the aim of the game was to perform the self-motivated activity by reciting the informative, educational, and interactive tongue-twisting in English or poetic expression in Punjabi in a single breath to learn briefly about the life-journey/parables of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The game was designed both in English and Punjabi to cater to a vast multilingual audience. For Instance:
In English #1
Warrior wielded veiled valor in battlefield,
Valiantly outfield the field
with his sword and shield,
Wailing force of foes
fleeing the field,
‘Tyag’ to ‘Tegh’
the name was sealed.
In Punjabi #1
ਤਿਆਗ, ਤੇਗ, ਤੀਖਣ ਤਲਵਾਰੇ
ਸਰਬ-ਸਭਾ ਸੰਯੁਕਤੇ
ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ ਤੋਲ, ਤਰਾਸ਼ੇ
ਨਜ਼ਰ-ਨਜ਼ਰ ਕੇ ਨੁਕਤੇ
Over 1000 people participated in the game play, and 600 plus people as winner were rewarded with a board game “A walk with Guru Nanak”. All the visitors were blessed with a card game version of ‘Gur ka Noor Awaaz Banenda’.
The collaborative intends to take the game further to other institutions and historic Gurdwaras.
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**The game has been prepared for the sole intention of educational purposes. The excerpts about life of Guru Tegh Bahadur have been taken from the book ‘Sikh Faith - An Epitome of Inter-faith for Divine Realisation’ written by Shiromani Panth Ratan Baba Iqbal Singh and published by The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, and various other resources. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s brief life-sketch has been humbly translated by Thukral and Tagra Studio into an illustrated format with an artistic point of view. There is no intention to hurt the sentiments of any individual, community, sect, or religion. The poetic expression in Punjabi for "Guru ka Noor Awaaaz Banenda" is written with an artistic point of view by Harmanjeet Singh, winner of ‘Sahitya Academy Youth Award’ for his book ‘Ranti Tatt’.
For Inquiries:
Message us on: https://www.instagram.com/awalkwithgurunanak/
To know more visit:
A walk with Guru Nanak (https://awalkwithgurunanak.com/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsyeESe7V2w
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The Kalgidhar Society – Baru Sahib is a non-profit charitable organisation focussed on providing quality education to fight against the alarming rise in drugs and alcohol abuse. With equal stress on Healthcare, Women Empowerment, and Social Welfare, the organisation has been instrumental in the socio-economic uplift of the poor in the far-flung rural areas of North India.
Thukral and Tagra Studio works collaboratively with a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, installations, interactive games, video, performance, and design. Their practice is synonymous with the surreal representation of the subconscious and scapes that blur boundaries between reality and imagination. The practice also embarks on new formats of public engagement that attempts to expand the scope of what art can do. They break out of the mediated and disciplinary world and create multi-modal sensory and immersive environments.