Guru Nanak College highlights fusion of Tamil-Punjabi cultures at Governor’s Meet

General Secretary Manjit Singh Nayar relates contributions of Sikh community in Tamil Nadu

On the occasion of States Reorganisation Day, which led to creation of several states including Tamil Nadu, an event was organised by R N Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu with invitees of different states from India. As one of invitees, Manjit Singh Nayar, Secretary General of Guru Nanak College, Chennai, spoke of the contributions of the Punjabi and Sikh communities in the development of Tamil Nadu over the past several decades.

To mark the States Reorganisation Day, R N Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, organised an event at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai, to highlight the cross-cultural contributions of various communities in development of India.

As part of this discussion, the Governor invited select speakers representing various communities but who had also made significant contributions individually to Tamil Nadu and its development.

Representing the Sikh community on this occasion, Manjit Singh Nayar, General Secretary and Correspondent, Guru Nanak College, Chennai recounted the contributions made by the community in the development of Chennai and Tamil Nadu.

“As a representative of the Sikh community in Tamil Nadu, I have been invited to speak on Punjab, but I must confess that I consider myself as much a Tamilian as a Punjabi! After all, Chennai has been my home since 1993 and in the past 32 years, the city and the state have given me so much that I can hope to give back to the city and the state. Over the years in my own small ways, I have tried to give back to society. I have been associated with the Tamil Nadu Home Guards since 2003 and today I serve as the Assistant Commandant General. As an Officer of the Home Guards and at a more personal level, I have tried to support the Chennai and Tamil Nadu Police whenever the situation demanded it; be it during the floods of 2015, the Covid-19 pandemic or important occasions such as national celebrations and elections. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we set up a fully-functional hospital for Covid-19 patients and a hostel that housed hundreds of migrant workers who were stuck during the lockdown. The president of India acknowledged these works and bestowed the presidential medal for meritorious service in 2018 and for Distinguished services in 2025,” he said.

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Nayar also spoke at length about the several ways in which Guru Nanak College has been contributing to the local community since its existence and how he has developed the concept of giving back to the society in everything that the college has been doing. 

“As the General Secretary & Correspondent of Guru Nanak College & Guru Nanak Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Velachery, I have strived to offer opportunities to students from the weakest sections of society for the last 17 years. We have grown from 450 to 7,200 students today and I am proud to say that we are among the top colleges of the nation. With evolving trends in education, Guru Nanak College created several international academic partnerships to benefit our students. We provide skills and vocational training, in partnership with reputed companies like Maruti Suzuki Motors, CISCO, NASSCOM and other Internet,k  Communications and Technology companies and associations, not just for our students but anyone keen to acquire these skills. We have a special cell to induct specially-abled children into main stream of society through education, skill and employment opportunity,’’ he said.

“The college has also been at the forefront in the field of sports, having produced many International players who have played and are playing for India in cricket, squash, shooting, rowing, swimming, volleyball, billiards, chess, to name a few. I am proud to say that two years ago, we opened the best shooting range in all of southern India,’’ he added.

On the ties between Tamil Nadu and the Sikh community, Nayar evoked the special programmes organised by the college to continue the historic cross cultural relationship that has existed for several centuries. “Guru Nanak Devji, the founder of Sikhism, had deep ties with Tamil Nadu and the cross-cultural connections of Tamil and Sikh scholars over the centuries have enriched both societies. Every year we conduct Gurushiksha and various competitions on Teachings of Sikh Gurus in Tamil, English and Hindi for college and school students This year more than 1,500 students from all over Tamil Nadu participated and spoke on Guru Tegh Bahadur, who is called the shield of the faith for his ultimate sacrifice,’’ he said.

Nayar added that while there are many communities, languages and ethnicities in India, it is important that people across India welcome other Indians and make them feel at home anywhere in the country.

“We are defined by many identities but at the end of the day the strongest identity we all share is that we are citizens of this nation. I hope every Indian finds themselves at home in every part of India, just as I find myself at home here in Chennai and in Tamil Nadu,’’ he said.