For All The Visitors

By ANI, *Five-day annual fair dedicated to Baba Sheikh Farid concludes* - About - Pakistan
Thursday, September 24, 2009

Faridkot (Punjab, Pakistan): A five-day-long annual fair marking communal harmony and dedicated to Baba Sheikh Farid, a Sufi saint, concluded in Punjabs Faridkot district on Wednesday.

Visitors had a gala time as they went around the fair and enjoyed various amusement rides and food stalls. Inderjit Singh Khalsa, Chairman of Baba Farid Foundation, said that what makes this event unique is that the fair portrays the life and philosophy of Baba Farid in every event, in which around 3,00,000 visitors, including tourists turned up.

Due to the blessing of Baba Sheikh Farid around 3,00,000 people turned up in the fair, that is usually held between September 19 and 23. In this fair activities relating to religion, recreation, sports and amusement take place and it has some or the other thing for all the visitors, Khalsa said. People from different religion and castes participated in the fair, and almost all of them visited the shrine of Baba Sheikh Farid and sought his blessings.

In this fair people from all castes participate without any discrimination. Even Baba Sheikh Farid believed in equality of different faiths and castes, said Sukhwinder Singh, a devotee.

Baba Farid was among the prominent Chishti Sufis. He was a great scholar of Persian and Arabic, and wrote thought-provoking verses in the Punjabi language.

He is also considered the first Punjabi poet and his verses have been quoted by the founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanak in his discourse.

[Picture: Shrine of Hazrat Baba Fareed Shakar Ganj. Photo: Wikipedia, Fariduddin Ganjshakar]