The Sikhs do not agree with the term the BJP-led Indian government has coined to mark the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger Sahibzade (Sovereign's sons) – Veer Baal Divas which means the ‘Day of Brave Kids.’ For Sikhs the sons, though young, are not kids but examples of great bravery and sacrifice – Babas, wise ones. On 26 Dec, Prime Minister Modi said the Sikh Gurus have taught Indians to live for the glory of their land and served as an inspiration to make the country better and more developed. ‘The Gurus gave us these teachings...we need to live for the country's pride and glory. We need to live for the betterment of the country.’ The sahibzade chose martyrdom for truth and sovereignty , not for the empire or country. This is an appropriation and repurposing of Sikh history to serve the interest of the Hindutva state. PM Modi even wrongly attributed a Kabir couplet to Guru Gobind Singh. In Uttar Pradesh, the Hindutva heartland, CM Yogi Adityanath announced that all places belonging to Sikh Gurus will be developed. This is a way of taking control of spaces associated with the Gurus. In keeping with the idea of ‘Veer Bal Divas,’ some schools performed plays in which they physically depicted the younger sahibzade Zorawar Singh, 9 years, and Fateh Singh, 6 years. This is also against the code of conduct in Sikhi to idolize. The SGPC has condemned the plays and asked the schools for an explanation.
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