Hyderabad, a home Sikhs call their own

HYDERABAD: Right from daybreak on Thursday, the sound of keertans and bhajans reverberated across the Gowliguda Chaman and Sikh Chawni (Kishanbagh) areas of the Old City. A close to 6,000 member strong Sikh community, residing here for decades, woke up to the most sacred of their festivals, the Guru Nanak Jayanti. The celebrations that began from the four gurudwaras, in Afzalgunj, Gowliguda, Charmahal and Uppuguda, dotting this part of town, later travelled to the NTR stadium opposite Indira Park where Sikhs from across the twin cities gathered to chant verses together from the Guru Granth Sahib and sing hymns in praise of the guru. Community lunches, or langars, were also arranged as part of the festivities. 

But such centralised celebration on Guru Nanak Jayanti is a fairly new trend, say old-timers from the Deccani Sikh community that has made asal Hyderabad its home close to two centuries ago. Traditionally, the day was spent among close relatives and friends at the local gurudwara with religious tracks playing in the background. "But as the number of Sikhs in the city swelled considerably, the festival was pulled out of localities and was held at the Exhibition Grounds in Nampally. It was later moved to the current venue," said Surender Pal Singh Saluja, president of the 58-year-old Andhra Pradesh Punjabi Sabha. In fact, even today, with several Sikhs from both north and south India relocating here in large numbers every year, their influx into Hyderabad has not ebbed. 




with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.