Mega candle to glow in Surrey to honour Guru Nanak

By Mata Press Service

A remarkable achievement in candle making will be lit on Friday, Nov. 8 at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Surrey to commemorate the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak, the spiritual founder of Sikhism.

The Guru Nanak commemorative candle will burn continuously for a symbolic 550 hours. It has three wicks and is believed to be the longest burning candle ever made. The candle was commissioned by Surrey business leader Harbinder Singh Sewak at a cost of $25,000. It was poured by master candlemaker Madu Dhasanayaka, who labored for more than 2,000 hours creating the work.

“The idea came to me a couple of months ago as I was thinking of ways to honour Guru Nanak on this special occasion for Sikhs,” says Sewak, the CEO of the successful Surrey gift business Alooatta.

“I asked Madu if it could be done and he worked on it obsessively ever since.”

Guru Nanak emphasized a deep reverence for all creation in his teachings. He believed that to respect the environment is to respect the Creator.

And so, in keeping with the Guru’s scriptures, the commemorative candle is an environmentally-friendly, clean-burning masterpiece made with an exclusive formula of vegan soya wax, organic mustard-seed oil and natural extract of jasmine.

The organic qualities of the candle are important to High Priest Giani Narinder Singh, who will light the wicks at the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib with a number of spiritual, political and business dignitaries in attendance.

“It was fundamental to his teaching to take care of the earth and the air and the water,” says Singh.

“The Muslims, the Hindus, and so many other religious communities praise Guru Nanak because of his universal message of caring for the environment.”

Candles are highly symbolic in Sikhism, as they represent a journey out of darkness. Singh expresses this point in exclaiming the virtues of the custom-created Guru Nanak candle.

“When the Guru was born there was darkness and upon his birth came light,” he says. “When you light a candle, the darkness goes. It will be a great honour to have this particular light glowing at our Gurdwara for 550 hours.”

Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib is located at 15255 68 Ave, Surrey. The Guru Nanak candle will be lit at 6 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Nagar Kirtan parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib and continue until 2:30 p.m. Attendance for the procession is expected to exceed 20,000. The Guru Nanak commemorative candle will be on display throughout the celebration for everyone to see.

The 550-hour Guru Nanak candle is the largest in a series of candles Alooatta has commissioned to commemorate the special occasion. For sale to the public are candles poured to burn for 55 hours, as well as two smaller candles: one that will burn for 550 minutes, and one that will burn for five hours and 50 minutes.

The magnificent 550-hour candle will on display at Alooatta Gallery in the Payal Centre (Unit 113 — 12885 80th Ave. Surrey) from Nov. 1 to Nov. 6. While on display at Alooatta, the public is invited to drop in, have a look, take selfies and ask questions on how it was made.

On Nov. 6, the Guru Nanak candle will be moved to Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib and reverently placed on its pedestal.

AlooAtta specializes in eco-friendly gifts. For more information, email [email protected] or visit the website at alooatta.com