I welcome you all to this celebration of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji, the first Guru and founder of Sikhism, a poet, a religious teacher and a social reformer. 

2. Guru Nanak spoke of one God, universal brotherhood, love, humility, simplicity, equality and tolerance. His message had universal appeal. It is said, “Guru Nanak Shah Fakir, Hindu ka Guru, Mussalman ka pir”; he embraced teachings of all faiths and is respected by people from all faiths.  

3. India has given birth to many great saints and religious preachers, whose teachings have influenced our society and our world view. All our religious texts emphasize universal brotherhood; the ancient Hindu Upanishads gave the principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning the World is one family”. Guru Nanak spoke of “Sarbat the Bhala, meaning Good of Humanity” - the words may be different but the underlying message is same.

4. I would like to take this opportunity to pay our respect and gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, under whose leadership Oman has been constantly working for the good of humanity and global peace. I would like to thank His Majesty and the Government of Oman for allowing people from different countries to follow and practice their religious faiths freely. 
   

5. Today is a momentous day, as earlier in the morning Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor, thus fulfilling the long cherished dream of our Sikh brothers and sisters, enabling their pilgrimage to Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. I congratulate all of you on this happy occasion. The Kartarpur corridor connects two important Sikh shrines related to the life of Guru Nanak Dev ji; Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan (where Guru Nanak Dev ji settled after his missionary work and believed to be his final resting place) and Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur, India (where Guru Nanak Dev ji used to meditate). Government of India has constructed a "state-of-the-art" passenger terminal building for the corridor, and successfully negotiated a visa free arrangement with Pakistani government  to facilitate the pilgrimage of Indian citizens.

6. The Government has taken many proactive measures to commemorate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji across the world, and to spread his teachings . The historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi is being developed as a heritage town, which will include a museum and heritage complex, “Pind Babe Nanak Da”. Government has issued commemorative coins and postage stamps on this historic occasion. Indian Railways has plans to run special trains linking all important places linked to Baba Nanak. Further, the Government is also working on proposals to establish chairs on Guru Nanak Dev ji in foreign universities; publish writings of Guru Nanak Dev ji in different languages of world in association with UNESCO; and make LED projection of Baba Nanak on iconic buildings around the world. 

7.  The year long celebration of  550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji is also being celebrated by Indian diplomatic missions around the world with active cooperation of Indian community. Embassy of India, Muscat, in association with Gurudwara Management Committee, Muscat and Punjabi Wing of Indian Social Club in Oman has organized several events, including of screening of movies and a talk on life & teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

8. I thank Gurudwara Management Committee and Punjabi Wing of Indian Social Club for their constant support. I also look forward to attending the celebrations in Gurudwara in the coming week. 

9.  Equality of humans is at the crux of Guru Nanak's teachings.  Let us all pray together for global peace and try to follow the path shown by Guru Nanak. 

Thank you!

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