PM Modi on Guru Govind Singh Jayanti Declared 26th December as Veer Bal Divas

• Prime Minister of India has declared that 26th December shall henceforth be marked as “Veer Baal Diwas”.
• It will be celebrated to pay homage to “Sahibzades”, four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the last Sikh guru.
• The date has been chosen as it was martyrdom day of Sahibzadas Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were killed at a tender age of 6 and 9 in Sirhind by Mughal forces.

Sahibzades

• Guru Gobind Singh ji had four sons – Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh.
• All four of his sons were initiated into Khalsa and all were executed by Mughal forces before the age of 19.
• Sikhism honors illustrious martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji in the prayer of ardas for their valor and sacrifice as ‘Char Sahibzade’, that is the four princes of the Khalsa warrior order.

Guru Gobind Singh:

• He was born on 22nd December 1666 in Patna, Bihar and also the 10th Sikh Guru.
• He became the Sikh guru at the age of nine, after the demise of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
• He was assassinated in 1708.

Significance:

• The day marks when Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh attained martyrdom when they were executed by Mughals (1705).
• The brothers were captured with their grandmother Mata Gujari, mother of Guru Gobind Singh.
• They were imprisoned with their grandmother and put to death on the orders of Aurangzeb, who attempted to suffocate them ​inside a brick enclosure.
• This sacrifice is seen as the bravest sacrifice for Dharma by any young boys in Indian history.