By IANS,
New Delhi : Special prayers were offered in gurdwaras across the national capital early Saturday for the success of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s heart surgery and his speedy recovery.
“At the Bangla Sahib gurdwara (near Connaught Place), the Sisganj Sahib gurdwara (in Chandni Chowk) and Gurdwara Singh Sabha at (G.T. Karnam Road), special ‘Sangat’ (mass prayer) was being offered early in the morning at 8.45 a.m. for the prime minister’s successful operation and his speedy recovery,” Paramjeet Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), told IANS.
“Offering these kind of prayers is very rare. All that we prayed for is the almighty’s mercy on the prime minister,” he added.
Manmohan Singh was wheeled into the operation theatre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at 7.30 a.m. Saturday for a heart surgery that could last several hours, hospital authorities said.
The surgery is being conducted by a team of doctors led by well-known cardio-thoracic surgeon Ramakant Panda, vice-chairman of Mumbai’s Asian Heart Institute.
Kuldip Singh Bhogal of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said that when Sikhs went for their morning prayers Saturday, they especially prayed for the prime minister.
“Everyone is praying for the success of the prime minister’s operation, and we are doing that too. He is our leader and we are praying for the best for him,” Bhogal added.
Sarna added that there special prayers would also be conducted when Manmohan Singh returns home after the surgery.
“We call it ‘Shukrana’ or prayer of thanks. When he returns home after the operation, we will again offer special prayers thanking the almighty for his mercy,” Sarna said.