Guru Nanak Dev 550th Birth Anniversary: What Is Ik Onkar? The Symbol That Air India’s Boeing 787 Has Put Up Ahead of Gurpurab Celebrations

New Delhi, October 28: National carrier 'Air India' has painted "El Onkar" symbol in one of its aircraft tail to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. "Ek Onkar" symbol represents the one supreme reality and is a central tenet of the Sikh religious philosophy. The symbol has been painted on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner which will fly on October 31 from Amritsar to Stansted, United Kingdom (UK). Air India Puts Sikh Symbol On its Jet to Mark 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev.

Appreciating Air India's move, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted the photos of the aircraft. "Heartwarming to see 'Ik Onkar’ painted on the tail of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of the historic celebrations on the 550th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji," he said in a tweet.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Tweet:

What is Ik Onkar?

Ek Onkar means that the "God is One" or "One God". The symbol is an emblem of the Sikh religion and is found in religious sculptures and Gurudwaras. It is a combination of two characters, the numeral Ik (one) and the first letter of the word Onkar- which means god.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Bal also welcomed the national carrier's move. "Delighted that @airindiain is celebrating the #550th ParkashPurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji by painting Ek Onkar symbol on its aircraft. It represents the fundamental teaching of Sikhism that "God is one". The entire #Sikh community is proud of this humble tribute," she wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Air India paid tribute to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary by putting up his image on Airbus A20 aircraft.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2019 03:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).