Chandigarh: The commemorative Guru Nanak Village Way street sign was unveiled in Cloverdale by Surrey City Council in British Columbia, Canada, to mark the 550th Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) of first Sikh master Guru Nanak Dev.
The city supports a good population of Sikh community.
The sign was installed on the corner of 64 Avenue and 175 Street on Friday with Surrey City Council approving a request of the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society.
The street gives access to the upcoming Guru Nanak Diversity Village long-term care facility.
PICS President and CEO Satbir Singh Cheema told IANS over phone that the street got
“secondary street name in the form of the commemorative name” in both English and Punjabi.
He said PICS is a non-profit community-based organisation that provides a variety of services like senior citizens’ care services and housing programmes.
He said the Surrey City Council was joined by PICS Society, elected government officials, Counsel General of India (Vancouver) and members of the community to celebrate the unveiling of the commemorative Guru Nanak Village Way street sign in Cloverdale.
“With more than 104,720 South-Asians living in the municipality of Surrey, naming this street after Guru Nanak Dev not only reflects our city’s multicultural mosaic, but also the rich Punjabi heritage. It is a celebration of our minorities, our diverse cultures, communities and their contributions towards making Surrey a truly inclusive society and city,” an elated Cheema said.
He expressed gratitude to Mayor Doug McCallum and the Surrey City Council for their leadership on this initiative.
The idea to rename 175A Street after the founder of the Sikh faith came to the fore in the wake of the decision by PICS Society to name the proposed 125-bed long-term care home for seniors as Guru Nanak Diversity Village.
The PICS Society has upgraded and widened 175A Street (off from 64 Avenue), in order to provide access to the Guru Nanak Diversity Village residential care facility being built in Cloverdale.
The commemorative street name sign was approved by the City Council on June 27.
Mayor Doug McCallum, who was present at the function to unveil the street sign, said, “A good population of Sikh community resides in Surrey and I can think of no better way to express the city’s commitment to inclusion than to name this street in honour of Guru Nanak whose teachings championed the oneness of humanity and united people across religious divisions.”
PICS is a registered non-profit society that has been serving the local community in British Columbia since 1987, providing a broad spectrum of programs and services that assist new immigrants, seniors, women and youth.
Responding to the street sign unveiling, Surrey-Greentimbers MLA Rachna Singh, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for anti racism initiatives, told IANS: “Guru Nanak Dev-ji was ahead of his times as he denounced racism and stood up for human rights when such concepts were alien to the collective consciousness of the society.
“I am delighted to see a street being named after him in our city.”
She also congratulated PICS for keeping the legacy of Nanak alive.
–IANS
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