Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
June holds special significance for Sikhs as we commemorate the anniversaries of supreme sacrifice: of Guru Arjun in 1606, and of thousands of Sikhs in India in 1984. We will honor this month with our third annual ride to commemorate these sacrifices.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the Operation Bluestar massacre. In 1984, the Indian military invaded Gurdwaras around India, including the Sikh world’s central Gurdwara, Harmandir Sahib (aka “the Golden Temple”) in Amritsar, India. The invasion, known as Operation Bluestar, was executed during the week that Sikhs were recognizing the martyrdom of Guru Arjan — the fifth Guru of the Sikhs — in 1606 at the hands of the reigning Mughal regime. The Indian military planned months ahead to execute this operation on this day. Large gatherings occur at Amritsar for this occasion each year, and it was on this day that the Indian army decided to invade.
Thousands were killed in the Harmandir Sahib complex during the Operation Bluestar massacre and the event triggered more than a decade of violence and turmoil in Punjab. The Sikh seat of authority, the Akal Takht, was also destroyed. Since 1984, Sikhs around the world remember each year this dark event in Sikh history that has since shaped our community for generations.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of 1984 and Guru Arjan’s Shaheedi (martyrdom), we’ll be coming together on Saturday, June 8 to ride round trip between Gurdwara Sahib Fremont (300 Gurdwara Road, Fremont, CA 94536) and the Tri Valley Sikh Center in Livermore (2089 N Livermore Ave, Livermore, CA 94551). This will be a relatively flat ride of almost 45 miles.
Please join us as we celebrate the Sikh spirit of resiliency and resolve. More info and RSVP here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/820924/group_events/1553593
If you have ordered our special edition cycling kit, please wear it for this ride. Also, please arrive by 8:00 am in Fremont. We will assemble by the Nishan Sahib to roll by 8:30 am.
Look forward to you joining us. Fateh!
Sikh Cycling Club 