New York: A stretch of a road in New York has been renamed Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Marg honouring the ninth Sikh guru’s legacy.
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a post on X Tuesday called it a “proud moment for the Sikh Sangat”.
The Guru is “the epitome of religious freedom and protector of human rights”, he said.
Recalling his stay in the multicultural city as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he wrote on X, “This befitting honour highlights the significance of the Sikh community in Richmond Hill and recognises the contribution of Sikh heritage to the cultural fabric of New York City”.
Lynn Schulman, the city councilwoman, who moved the city council resolution for the reaming said it recognises “the 9th Sikh Guru’s legacy of sacrifice, compassion, and unwavering stand for justice”.
“In a HISTORIC first, a NYC Street is named after Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Marg. 114th St & 101st Ave. in Richmond Hill, home to Gurdwara Makhan Shah Lubana, will now be known as Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Marg Way, to honour the 9th Sikh Guru’s legacy of sacrifice, compassion, and unwavering stand for justice,” Schulman posted on X.
The renaming ceremony took place over the weekend on the eve of Deepavali.
Sukhjinder Singh Nijjar, an East Coast Sikh community leader, welcomed the renaming saying it was the local government’s appreciation of the Sikh heritage.
“In following the guru’s example of service to humanity, the Sikhs in New York immerse themselves in the community through service and this is a recognition of it”, Nijjar, who is a former official of the Sikh Cultural Society told IANS.
The stretch of the road is home to Gurdwara Makhan Shah Lubana in the Richmond Hill section of the city’s Queens borough.
The temple run by the Sikh Cultural Society is one of the oldest gurdwaras on the US East Coast and was started in 1972 in building that was formerly a Christian church.
After a fire destroyed it in 2002, it was rebuilt with grandeur, making it the largest gurdwara in eastern US.
