The Indian-American community in Washington has observed the maiden 'Veer Bal Diwas' on Monday (26) during which they paid tributes to the unparalleled sacrifices made by 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh's four sons who laid down their lives while defending their faith.
The martyrdom day of Guru Gobind Singh's sons -- Baba Ajit Singh, Baba Jujhar Singh, Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh -- is observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas'.
On the occasion of Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary on January 9 this year, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had announced that December 26 will be observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas'.
Organised by the Indian Embassy at its premises in the US capital on Monday, a digital exhibition on the lives of the four Sahibzades was also mounted on the occasion.
In her remarks, Charge d'Affaires Sripriya Ranganathan highlighted the various initiatives taken by the Indian government to commemorate Sikh festivals.
She highlighted the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor -- connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib near Lahore in Pakistan to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of India's Punjab.
Ranganathan also highlighted the initiatives taken by the Indian government to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev across the world; celebration of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur with a special commemorative coin and a postage stamp being released by Modi to mark the occasion; and bringing back three ‘Holy Swarups' of the Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan with full honour in August last year.
Guru Gobind Singh's two sons -- Baba Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh -- were killed on the battlefield, while Baba Zorawar and Fateh Singh were bricked up alive.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images