Vaisakhi Day, to be celebrated tomorrow by Sikhs, has two major significance.

Firstly, Vaisakhi has a deep religious meaning. It was on this auspicious day of Vaisakhi in 1699 that the 10th guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobing Singh Ji, baptised the Sikhs into ‘Khalsa’, and gave the surname ‘Singh’ to man and ‘Kaur’ to woman.

Secondly, Vaisakhi traditionally is celebrated as a day of jubilation and thanksgiving after a bountiful harvest. It is manifested in the energetic folk dances and the ‘Bhangra’, which is a typical male folk dance. Its female counterpart is ‘Gidda’, which is similar in concept to Bhangra.

The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council was formed in 1988, and it has a membership of 30,000. The constitution of the council requires it to serve as a central forum to promote religious, cultural, social, educational and economic interests of the Sikhs.

The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council appeals to all Sikhs to attend Gurwaras tomorrow, April 14, to receive Vaheguru’s blessing and to pray for prosperity of all humanity. We wish all Sikhs a very happy and prosperous Vaisakhi 2010.

The author is Malaysian Gurdwaras Council president.