India, Nov. 7 -- Once upon a quieter, humbler time-Guru Nanak Jayanti was about devotion. People rose before dawn, bathed in cold water, that could awaken the dead, and sang Asa di Vaar - the day was one of reflection, humility, and service-a living echo of Guru Nanak's eternal commandments: Kirat Karo (work honestly), Naam Japo (remember the Divine), and Wand Chhako (share what you have). Today, the faithful still gather-but they arrive armed with ring lights. The nagar kirtan winds through the streets like before, though now it also features drones capturing slow-motion shots. Someone inevitably shouts, "Wait-retake that, my dupatta blew the wrong way!" The timeless chant "Ik Onkar" floats serenely while someone yells, "Bro, move left, you're blocking the angle!" The selfie taken in front of the Nishan Sahib has become an annual tradition. It's no longer "Satnam Waheguru"-it's "Waheguru, please make sure I get 500 likes." Faith and filters march together Naam Japo has evolved too. Once it meant quiet meditation, now, it often begins with a social media post: "Feeling blessed! #SikhAndStylish." Faith, it seems, must now be algorithm-friendly. Children used to listen to stories about Guru Nanak-how he preached compassion, today, they might remember the glow-in-the-dark balloons released after the ardas. Still, it's hard to be too cynical-if even one person pauses their scroll to read a quote from the Guru, perhaps that's Naam Japo 2.0. Kirat Karo, the call to earn through honest labor, often arrives disguised. Volunteers at the langar ladle dal, subzi, the aroma of karah parshad mingles with the hum of hymns, and time briefly forgets which century it's in. The lesson endures: work is worship-especially when done with humility and possibly a touch of hand sanitiser. And then, of course, Wand Chhako-share what you have. Once a radical act of equality, today it lives on through langar halls that feed thousands, from gilded gurdwaras in Amritsar to pop-up kitchens in New York. The day's pageantry, however evolved, still draws people toward something purer-the act of service, the chant of faith, and the joy of community. Somewhere, the first Sikh Guru must be chuckling gently and might even raise an amused eyebrow at the Instagram reels playing outside his own gurdwaras. So on Gurpurb, perhaps we should channel the original influencer himself - Baba Nanak. Because while the celebration may have changed from piety to pageantry, the Guru's message still fits every generation, "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim-only one humanity under one divine light." And that's the miracle of Gurpurb-it survives our vanity, and our selfies. Even if our faith is now accessorised, the melody of the shabad finds its way past the noise, whispering in the heart: "Be good, do good, and maybe take fewer pictures while doing it."...