For Sikhs it is Martyrdom Week, for BJP it is Veer Bal Diwas

The three-day annual Shahidi Jor Mela (Martyr's Gathering) began with religious fervor at Fategarh Sahib, Panjab. Nearly 3 million devotees paid obeisance at the Gurdwaras. The gathering is held to commemorate the martyrdom of Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the younger Sahibzade (Sovereign’s sons) of Guru Gobind Singh. In 1704, Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, imprisoned the Sahibzade and their grandmother Mata Gujri in the Thanda Burj (cold minaret). The years between 1645 to 1710 were the Maunder Minimum when sunspots were rare and reduced solar light had brought down the average terrestrial temperature. The river Thames in England had frozen, Vikings had to return from Greenland, and Norwegian farmers sought compensation from the King of Denmark for loss of crop due to advancing glaciers. Yet, the Sahibzade did not renounce their faith and instead chose martyrdom. In 2022, in an effort to appropriate history, the BJP has termed the event Veer Bal Diwas (Brave Kids Day). The party does not grasp that Sikhs do not consider the Sahibzadas as ‘kids’, instead revere them as Babas (wise ones) (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 1, Story 2). However, organizers of multiple blood camps at the gathering came under fire from the health department for organizing blood donation camps without permission, and the camps were forced to close. Also, the iconic murals of Sahibzade at Baba Atal Gurdwara, Amritsar are facing erosion. The murals trace back to the early 19th century and have long served as a seminal reference for artists portraying Sikh martyrs. One notable mural showing all four Sahibzade journeying on horseback adorned the outer wall of Baba Atal Gurdwara has significantly faded, surviving only through photographs preserved by artist Satpal Danish.