The demand to observe September 20 as ‘Bhai Ghanaiya Ji Manav Sewa Sankalp Diwas’ at the national-level has gained renewed momentum.Professor Bahadur Singh Jattvibeet, president of Bhai Ghanaiya Ji Mission and coordinator of Bhai Ghanaiya Ji Charity and Peace International Foundation, said the occasion should be used to take the message of selfless and discrimination-free service to people across the country. He said the life of Bhai Ghanaiya represented the principles of compassion, equality, peace and service to humanity and deserved wider recognition beyond the religious and historical sphere.According to the historical tradition, during the battles at Anandpur Sahib in the time of Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Ghanaiya carried water to wounded soldiers without making any distinction between his own and enemy forces. When his conduct was brought to the notice of Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Ghanaiya explained that he could see the same divine presence in everyone on the battlefield. Guru Gobind Singh is traditionally said to have blessed his approach and entrusted him with medicinal supplies and bandages so that he could also attend to the wounds of the injured.Jattvibeet said this episode carried a universal humanitarian message and should be presented to younger generations as an example of service without discrimination. He said the organisation had been pursuing the issue for several decades and had approached various national and international institutions for recognition and wider dissemination of Bhai Ghanaiya’s humanitarian philosophy.He said the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the Indian Red Cross Society had acknowledged the significance of the Bhai Ghanaiya tradition. The Indian Red Cross has also published material about Bhai Ghanaiya on its website, he claimed.Jattvibeet recalled that the Punjab Government had observed September 20 as Bhai Ghanaiya Ji Manav Sewa Diwas at the state-level from 2014, with participation from social organisations. He said such official observances were later discontinued and appealed to the government to revive them and take the initiative to the national- level.He also pointed out that Punjab Assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had written to the Prime Minister seeking national-level observance of the day. Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal had also raised the importance of promoting Bhai Ghanaiya’s humanitarian message in Parliament, he added.Jattvibeet appealed to political, social and religious organisations across the country to support the demand. He said national observance of September 20 could provide an opportunity to promote ‘sarbat da bhala’, communal harmony, humanitarian service and peace, while introducing future generations to a historical example of compassion that transcended the boundaries of conflict.