Tuesday, March 01, 2005
400th anniversary
Celebrating the word
Golden Temple observes the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
Posted online: Sunday, August 29, 2004 at 0000 hours IST
CHANDIGARH: ON September 1, all roads in Amritsar will lead to the Golden Temple for the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Sanatam dharam sabhas are erecting gates to welcome the processions that have already started converging. Shivratri and Ram Naumi committees are holding langars. Devotees from Varanasi have begun filing in and the Dalai Lama has promised to join the celebrations.
The Guru Granth Sahib contains hymns and writings of not just Sikh Gurus, but Hindu and Muslim saints as well. The hymns of Jaidev from Bengal, Kabir, Ravidas, Ramanand from UP, Sheikh Farid from Punjab, Namdev, Tarlochan and Parmanand from Maharasthra and Dhanna from Rajasthan are all found in the Guru Granth Sahib.
‘‘The Guru Granth Sahib has commandments both for the Brahman and the Qazi and it does not say that the Sikh way of the life is the only path to God,’’ says Bhai Ashok Singh Bagrian, who belongs to the Bagrian family which was closely associated with the anointment of Sikh Gurus.
What is also rare is that the original handwritten book is still available. ‘‘Sikhs are singularly lucky that the original text has survived,’’ says Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. While in other religions, texts were transmitted through an oral tradition and were scribed much later, in the case of Guru Granth Sahib, the fifth Sikh pontificate, Guru Arjun Dev himself dictated it to Bhai Gurdas who wrote it down.
However, the family of the sixth Guru, Hargobind, later took possession of the original book and took it out of the Temple. It’s still with this family —the Sodhis at Kartarpur—who have since been ostracised from the community. Access to the original text is restricted. So far, very few Sikh scholars have been allowed to study it—one of them obtained a court order to do so. ‘‘It is high time that the original text of the Guru Granth Sahib is handed back to the Sikh community,’’ says Ahluwalia.
The Guru Granth Sahib has writings spanning over five centuries. The writings of Sheikh Farid are from 12th and 13th century, while the compositions of ninth Sikh Guru date to the 17th century.
The Sikhs are also called the people of Ahl-I-Kitab or ‘‘people of the sacred book’’. Their guru is a holy book and the religion does not recognise any living Guru.
Though the Granth Sahib was written in 1604, it was granted the status of a Guru only in 1708 when the last Guru—Gobind Singh—passed on guruship to it.
Golden Temple observes the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
Posted online: Sunday, August 29, 2004 at 0000 hours IST
CHANDIGARH: ON September 1, all roads in Amritsar will lead to the Golden Temple for the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Sanatam dharam sabhas are erecting gates to welcome the processions that have already started converging. Shivratri and Ram Naumi committees are holding langars. Devotees from Varanasi have begun filing in and the Dalai Lama has promised to join the celebrations.
The Guru Granth Sahib contains hymns and writings of not just Sikh Gurus, but Hindu and Muslim saints as well. The hymns of Jaidev from Bengal, Kabir, Ravidas, Ramanand from UP, Sheikh Farid from Punjab, Namdev, Tarlochan and Parmanand from Maharasthra and Dhanna from Rajasthan are all found in the Guru Granth Sahib.
‘‘The Guru Granth Sahib has commandments both for the Brahman and the Qazi and it does not say that the Sikh way of the life is the only path to God,’’ says Bhai Ashok Singh Bagrian, who belongs to the Bagrian family which was closely associated with the anointment of Sikh Gurus.
What is also rare is that the original handwritten book is still available. ‘‘Sikhs are singularly lucky that the original text has survived,’’ says Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, president of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. While in other religions, texts were transmitted through an oral tradition and were scribed much later, in the case of Guru Granth Sahib, the fifth Sikh pontificate, Guru Arjun Dev himself dictated it to Bhai Gurdas who wrote it down.
However, the family of the sixth Guru, Hargobind, later took possession of the original book and took it out of the Temple. It’s still with this family —the Sodhis at Kartarpur—who have since been ostracised from the community. Access to the original text is restricted. So far, very few Sikh scholars have been allowed to study it—one of them obtained a court order to do so. ‘‘It is high time that the original text of the Guru Granth Sahib is handed back to the Sikh community,’’ says Ahluwalia.
The Guru Granth Sahib has writings spanning over five centuries. The writings of Sheikh Farid are from 12th and 13th century, while the compositions of ninth Sikh Guru date to the 17th century.
The Sikhs are also called the people of Ahl-I-Kitab or ‘‘people of the sacred book’’. Their guru is a holy book and the religion does not recognise any living Guru.
Though the Granth Sahib was written in 1604, it was granted the status of a Guru only in 1708 when the last Guru—Gobind Singh—passed on guruship to it.
Kalpana Chawla
Reach for the
stars, she said.
And she did
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
‘‘The path from dreams to success does exist. May
you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it,
and the perseverence to follow it. Wishing you a great
journey.’’
— A message from Kalpana Chawla from aboard
space shuttle Columbia, flight STS-107, to students
of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. The
message reached them two days ago.
KALPANA CHAWLA, 42, charted a trajectory
from dreams to success. It came naturally to
the Karnal girl who drew airplanes as a child
and spent long hours staring at passing aircrafts
overhead.
Chawla always said she was proud to be a ‘‘girl
from a small town that had a unique distinction of
having a flying club’’. Last year, when she heard she
was chosen out of 4,000 engineers to be part of the
space mission of STS-107 for the second time, she
wrote to the Chandigarh Administration, asking
them for college memorabilia. Happy to hear from
her, the Administrator, Lt Gen J F R Jacob, consti-
tuted a committee. ‘‘The students and faculty of PEC
and Chandigarh College of Architecture took keen
interest in its preparation,’’ said Professor V.S. Mal-
hotra, her teacher and former head of the aeronau-
tical department, Punjab Engineering College.
A broken wing outside the college put many stu-
dents off from adopting aeronautics as an engineer-
ing career. Not Kalpana. When as a 17-year-old in
1978, she joined the engineering college, Kalpana
was already a trendsetter as the only girl. Her room
was pasted with posters of spacecraft. She said: ‘‘I
did not know why there were so many photographs
as it was not that I imagined myself in them.’’
Her relatives were aghast when she was sent out
of Karnal for studying. They were scandalised when
she opted for higher studies in the US. Moving from
the backwaters in Karnal to Chandigarh had been
enough. And who would marry an overqualified
girl, her relatives reasoned. A masters from Texas in
1984 was followed by a doctorate from Colorado.
CONTINUED ON PAGE
stars, she said.
And she did
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
‘‘The path from dreams to success does exist. May
you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it,
and the perseverence to follow it. Wishing you a great
journey.’’
— A message from Kalpana Chawla from aboard
space shuttle Columbia, flight STS-107, to students
of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. The
message reached them two days ago.
KALPANA CHAWLA, 42, charted a trajectory
from dreams to success. It came naturally to
the Karnal girl who drew airplanes as a child
and spent long hours staring at passing aircrafts
overhead.
Chawla always said she was proud to be a ‘‘girl
from a small town that had a unique distinction of
having a flying club’’. Last year, when she heard she
was chosen out of 4,000 engineers to be part of the
space mission of STS-107 for the second time, she
wrote to the Chandigarh Administration, asking
them for college memorabilia. Happy to hear from
her, the Administrator, Lt Gen J F R Jacob, consti-
tuted a committee. ‘‘The students and faculty of PEC
and Chandigarh College of Architecture took keen
interest in its preparation,’’ said Professor V.S. Mal-
hotra, her teacher and former head of the aeronau-
tical department, Punjab Engineering College.
A broken wing outside the college put many stu-
dents off from adopting aeronautics as an engineer-
ing career. Not Kalpana. When as a 17-year-old in
1978, she joined the engineering college, Kalpana
was already a trendsetter as the only girl. Her room
was pasted with posters of spacecraft. She said: ‘‘I
did not know why there were so many photographs
as it was not that I imagined myself in them.’’
Her relatives were aghast when she was sent out
of Karnal for studying. They were scandalised when
she opted for higher studies in the US. Moving from
the backwaters in Karnal to Chandigarh had been
enough. And who would marry an overqualified
girl, her relatives reasoned. A masters from Texas in
1984 was followed by a doctorate from Colorado.
CONTINUED ON PAGE
3 Years
Three years over, still going strong
Captain Amarinder Singh completes three years as Punjab CM later this month. A huge celebration is being planned to mark the occasion. Few expected Amarinder to last so long, particularly after he passed an Act terminating the river-water agreements and his party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. But Amarinder continues, as dissidence has melted away.His main rival, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is quiet. And the family of former CM Beant Singh is split, with the daughter siding with Amarinder and the son ousted from the Cabinet. The lone opposition today is Jagmeet Singh Brar, who was not even allowed to speak at a Congress function in his hometown.
Much ado over Ajnala bypolls on Feb 27
The government completes three years on February 27, the same day that the bypoll result for a lone Assembly seat is expected. Punjab goes overboard during bypolls, and this time is no exception. The entire State’s attention is on Ajnala, a small town near Amritsar that’s witnessing a bypoll since its MLA was elected to Parliament. The State Secretariat is empty, ministers are camping in Amritsar, and bureaucrats are routinely absent from work.
A decade ago, it was this very seat that saw the Beant Singh government losing to the Akali Dal, and the revival of Parkash Singh Badal’s political fortunes. Dr Rattan Singh won the seat for the Akali Dal that time, and today his son Amarpal Singh is contesting the seat.
Where’s the Third Front in Punjab?
The decline of the Third Front is probably more evident in Punjab than anywhere else. Simranjeet Singh Mann is frequently losing some of his cadre. The BSP has been unable to make its presence felt, and does not have a single MLA in the House. And the last three bypolls have seen the party’s vote-share fall drastically. The Left too does not have any MLA, after two of its legislators quit the CPI and joined the Congress. Its attempts to field candidates during the previous bypolls were disastrous. Maybe that’s why the Left is staying away from Ajnala.
Compiled by Bajinder Pal Singh
Captain Amarinder Singh completes three years as Punjab CM later this month. A huge celebration is being planned to mark the occasion. Few expected Amarinder to last so long, particularly after he passed an Act terminating the river-water agreements and his party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. But Amarinder continues, as dissidence has melted away.His main rival, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is quiet. And the family of former CM Beant Singh is split, with the daughter siding with Amarinder and the son ousted from the Cabinet. The lone opposition today is Jagmeet Singh Brar, who was not even allowed to speak at a Congress function in his hometown.
Much ado over Ajnala bypolls on Feb 27
The government completes three years on February 27, the same day that the bypoll result for a lone Assembly seat is expected. Punjab goes overboard during bypolls, and this time is no exception. The entire State’s attention is on Ajnala, a small town near Amritsar that’s witnessing a bypoll since its MLA was elected to Parliament. The State Secretariat is empty, ministers are camping in Amritsar, and bureaucrats are routinely absent from work.
A decade ago, it was this very seat that saw the Beant Singh government losing to the Akali Dal, and the revival of Parkash Singh Badal’s political fortunes. Dr Rattan Singh won the seat for the Akali Dal that time, and today his son Amarpal Singh is contesting the seat.
Where’s the Third Front in Punjab?
The decline of the Third Front is probably more evident in Punjab than anywhere else. Simranjeet Singh Mann is frequently losing some of his cadre. The BSP has been unable to make its presence felt, and does not have a single MLA in the House. And the last three bypolls have seen the party’s vote-share fall drastically. The Left too does not have any MLA, after two of its legislators quit the CPI and joined the Congress. Its attempts to field candidates during the previous bypolls were disastrous. Maybe that’s why the Left is staying away from Ajnala.
Compiled by Bajinder Pal Singh
Diary
Three years over, still going strong
Captain Amarinder Singh completes three years as Punjab CM later this month. A huge celebration is being planned to mark the occasion. Few expected Amarinder to last so long, particularly after he passed an Act terminating the river-water agreements and his party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. But Amarinder continues, as dissidence has melted away.His main rival, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is quiet. And the family of former CM Beant Singh is split, with the daughter siding with Amarinder and the son ousted from the Cabinet. The lone opposition today is Jagmeet Singh Brar, who was not even allowed to speak at a Congress function in his hometown.
Much ado over Ajnala bypolls on Feb 27
The government completes three years on February 27, the same day that the bypoll result for a lone Assembly seat is expected. Punjab goes overboard during bypolls, and this time is no exception. The entire State’s attention is on Ajnala, a small town near Amritsar that’s witnessing a bypoll since its MLA was elected to Parliament. The State Secretariat is empty, ministers are camping in Amritsar, and bureaucrats are routinely absent from work.
A decade ago, it was this very seat that saw the Beant Singh government losing to the Akali Dal, and the revival of Parkash Singh Badal’s political fortunes. Dr Rattan Singh won the seat for the Akali Dal that time, and today his son Amarpal Singh is contesting the seat.
Where’s the Third Front in Punjab?
The decline of the Third Front is probably more evident in Punjab than anywhere else. Simranjeet Singh Mann is frequently losing some of his cadre. The BSP has been unable to make its presence felt, and does not have a single MLA in the House. And the last three bypolls have seen the party’s vote-share fall drastically. The Left too does not have any MLA, after two of its legislators quit the CPI and joined the Congress. Its attempts to field candidates during the previous bypolls were disastrous. Maybe that’s why the Left is staying away from Ajnala.
Compiled by Bajinder Pal Singh
Captain Amarinder Singh completes three years as Punjab CM later this month. A huge celebration is being planned to mark the occasion. Few expected Amarinder to last so long, particularly after he passed an Act terminating the river-water agreements and his party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. But Amarinder continues, as dissidence has melted away.His main rival, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is quiet. And the family of former CM Beant Singh is split, with the daughter siding with Amarinder and the son ousted from the Cabinet. The lone opposition today is Jagmeet Singh Brar, who was not even allowed to speak at a Congress function in his hometown.
Much ado over Ajnala bypolls on Feb 27
The government completes three years on February 27, the same day that the bypoll result for a lone Assembly seat is expected. Punjab goes overboard during bypolls, and this time is no exception. The entire State’s attention is on Ajnala, a small town near Amritsar that’s witnessing a bypoll since its MLA was elected to Parliament. The State Secretariat is empty, ministers are camping in Amritsar, and bureaucrats are routinely absent from work.
A decade ago, it was this very seat that saw the Beant Singh government losing to the Akali Dal, and the revival of Parkash Singh Badal’s political fortunes. Dr Rattan Singh won the seat for the Akali Dal that time, and today his son Amarpal Singh is contesting the seat.
Where’s the Third Front in Punjab?
The decline of the Third Front is probably more evident in Punjab than anywhere else. Simranjeet Singh Mann is frequently losing some of his cadre. The BSP has been unable to make its presence felt, and does not have a single MLA in the House. And the last three bypolls have seen the party’s vote-share fall drastically. The Left too does not have any MLA, after two of its legislators quit the CPI and joined the Congress. Its attempts to field candidates during the previous bypolls were disastrous. Maybe that’s why the Left is staying away from Ajnala.
Compiled by Bajinder Pal Singh
Langar
Langar shadow trailing Jathedar’s Canada trip
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 1: As Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti embarks on his maiden visit to Canada as the Akal Takhat Jathedar, the langar issue that has sharply divided the Canadian Sikh community into two has once again come to the fore.
The mode of serving langar has, in fact, become a criterion for the Jathedar in deciding whether to accept or reject an invitation to visit a gurdwara in Canada. Though the Akal Takhat Jathedar has indicated that he is willing to talk to anyone, he will only visit those gurdwaras which serve langar to congregations seated on the floor and keep out of those where food is served to people sitting on chairs.
This is the first occasion that any Akal Takhat Jathedar is visiting Canada after a hukamnama banning serving of langar on chairs was issued. And it is clear that the hukamnama is inviolable. ‘‘The issue here is adherence to Sikh principles and acceptance of the hukamnama,’’ an associate of the Jathedar said.
Sikhs in Canada have been in touch with the Jathedar, seeking his intervention in resolving the conflict that has divided the community. Various organisations in Vancouver, where many gurdwaras serve langar on chairs, have contacted the office of the Jathedar over the past few days requesting him to visit the city and help resolve the dispute. So deep is the divide that it has led to clashes, and even police intervention.
Gurdwara elections too are being fought on the langar issue and any change in management immediately sees a shift in the serving practice. The visa of Bhai Ranjit Singh, who as the Jathedar of Akal Takht had issued the langar hukamnama was cancelled by the US Government primarily due to an apprehension that his visit could cause tension in the Sikh community.
The Jathedar, who is in Canada on an invitation from a gurdwara at Dixie in Toronto, has a private engagement at Vancouver also. After a week-long stay in Canada, he is flying off to England, where he is to participate in the bicentenary celebrations of the coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple.
BAJINDER PAL SINGH
CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 1: As Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti embarks on his maiden visit to Canada as the Akal Takhat Jathedar, the langar issue that has sharply divided the Canadian Sikh community into two has once again come to the fore.
The mode of serving langar has, in fact, become a criterion for the Jathedar in deciding whether to accept or reject an invitation to visit a gurdwara in Canada. Though the Akal Takhat Jathedar has indicated that he is willing to talk to anyone, he will only visit those gurdwaras which serve langar to congregations seated on the floor and keep out of those where food is served to people sitting on chairs.
This is the first occasion that any Akal Takhat Jathedar is visiting Canada after a hukamnama banning serving of langar on chairs was issued. And it is clear that the hukamnama is inviolable. ‘‘The issue here is adherence to Sikh principles and acceptance of the hukamnama,’’ an associate of the Jathedar said.
Sikhs in Canada have been in touch with the Jathedar, seeking his intervention in resolving the conflict that has divided the community. Various organisations in Vancouver, where many gurdwaras serve langar on chairs, have contacted the office of the Jathedar over the past few days requesting him to visit the city and help resolve the dispute. So deep is the divide that it has led to clashes, and even police intervention.
Gurdwara elections too are being fought on the langar issue and any change in management immediately sees a shift in the serving practice. The visa of Bhai Ranjit Singh, who as the Jathedar of Akal Takht had issued the langar hukamnama was cancelled by the US Government primarily due to an apprehension that his visit could cause tension in the Sikh community.
The Jathedar, who is in Canada on an invitation from a gurdwara at Dixie in Toronto, has a private engagement at Vancouver also. After a week-long stay in Canada, he is flying off to England, where he is to participate in the bicentenary celebrations of the coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple.
Jathedars
As Jathedars fight charges, insiders blame politics for controversy
Bajinder Pal Singh
Chandigarh, June 24: Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, is in the dock over the mysterious death of his daughter-in-law.
Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, is accused of not submitting the accounts of the World Sikh Council, and faces an SGPC inquiry, along with Giani Kewal Singh.
Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Akal Takhat, is accused of handing over a precious handwritten bir to an unauthorised person who has smuggled it to Canada.
THE Jathedars — heads of the five sacred Takhts of the Sikhs — are leaders of the Sikh community, expected to conduct their lives in an exemplary fashion. The will of the community, it is said, speaks through them. But currently, these three Jathedars are being criticised publicly and increasingly vocal demands are being made for their removal.
To be fair to them though, the seats have had their share of controversies in the past. Bhai Ranjit Singh and Giani Puran Singh, both Akal Takht Jathedars, were involved in controversies over property dealings. During the period of militancy in Punjab and in its aftermath, controversial individuals occupied the seat of Jathedars. But the situation was different then.
This is perhaps the first time that all three Takht Jathedars in Punjab are at the centre of some controversy or other. Former SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who presided over the organisation for 25 years, places the blame on the increasing political interference in religious affairs. Tracing the history of Akal Takht, Tohra says: ‘‘Whenever political considerations have taken precedence over religious ones, whether it was in the British period or in recent times, the Takhts have been involved in controversies.’’
The Takht Jathedars should enjoy confidence of the entire Sikh Panth, and Tohra feels that the recent trend of appointing and removing Jathedars at will is only complicating the situation. Going back in time Tohra recalls that during the British Raj, Arur Singh and other granthis had to go because they pandered to the British and indulged in anti-Sikh activities. Later, when the community was gripped by miltant seperatism, a section of the militants had tried to bypass the SGPC and appoint Jathedars.
‘‘The decline in leadership should be seen in tandem with the decline in leadership in the Akali Dal,’’ says Bhai Ashok Singh of Bagrian, whose family has been associated with the Sikh leadership since the times of the sixth Guru. ‘‘The Akalis continue to dabble in Gurdwara affairs and politics despite having dropped the Panthic agenda,’’ he says.
Gurtej Singh, former IAS officer and the SGPC National Professor of Sikhism, says: ‘‘Previously, the Jathedars were appointed in consultation with different Sikh bodies and with the eminent people of the community.’’ But this ended with the era of Master Tara Singh and after that politicians sought to use the position of Jathedars to further their own agenda.
Others feel that the decline began when the militants started directing the SGPC to appoint Takhat Jathedars and other functionaries. The case of Gurbachan Singh Manochahal is a prime example.
Similarly, in January 1986, the SGPC was bypassed when a Sarbat Khalsa appointed Jasbir Singh Rode as the Akal Takhat Jathedar. It also constituted a five-member Panthic Committee with members like Manochahal and Wassan Singh Zafarwal.
The appointment of Rode and other high priests was first ratified by the SGPC. But they were sacked later when Tohra was in jail. Tohra then appointed Bhai Ranjit Singh to counter the militants. As Bhai Ranjit Singh was in jail at the time, Prof Manjit Singh acted as the Takhat Jathedar in his absence.
‘‘The golden era of Jathedars of Nawab Kapur Singh, Jassa Singh, Akali Phula Singh is over,’’ says Tohra. During the British period, Sarbrahs appointed by the British had to leave because of their conduct. It was after this that SGPC was given powers to appoint and sack Jathedars.
According to Tohra, sacking of a Jathedar used to be a rarity earlier. ‘‘(there were cases of) Giani Kartar Singh sacking Jathedar Acchar Singh and the one involving Rode,’’ he says, lamenting the trend of frequent sackings in recent times.
Bajinder Pal Singh
Chandigarh, June 24: Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, is in the dock over the mysterious death of his daughter-in-law.
Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, is accused of not submitting the accounts of the World Sikh Council, and faces an SGPC inquiry, along with Giani Kewal Singh.
Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Akal Takhat, is accused of handing over a precious handwritten bir to an unauthorised person who has smuggled it to Canada.
THE Jathedars — heads of the five sacred Takhts of the Sikhs — are leaders of the Sikh community, expected to conduct their lives in an exemplary fashion. The will of the community, it is said, speaks through them. But currently, these three Jathedars are being criticised publicly and increasingly vocal demands are being made for their removal.
To be fair to them though, the seats have had their share of controversies in the past. Bhai Ranjit Singh and Giani Puran Singh, both Akal Takht Jathedars, were involved in controversies over property dealings. During the period of militancy in Punjab and in its aftermath, controversial individuals occupied the seat of Jathedars. But the situation was different then.
This is perhaps the first time that all three Takht Jathedars in Punjab are at the centre of some controversy or other. Former SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who presided over the organisation for 25 years, places the blame on the increasing political interference in religious affairs. Tracing the history of Akal Takht, Tohra says: ‘‘Whenever political considerations have taken precedence over religious ones, whether it was in the British period or in recent times, the Takhts have been involved in controversies.’’
The Takht Jathedars should enjoy confidence of the entire Sikh Panth, and Tohra feels that the recent trend of appointing and removing Jathedars at will is only complicating the situation. Going back in time Tohra recalls that during the British Raj, Arur Singh and other granthis had to go because they pandered to the British and indulged in anti-Sikh activities. Later, when the community was gripped by miltant seperatism, a section of the militants had tried to bypass the SGPC and appoint Jathedars.
‘‘The decline in leadership should be seen in tandem with the decline in leadership in the Akali Dal,’’ says Bhai Ashok Singh of Bagrian, whose family has been associated with the Sikh leadership since the times of the sixth Guru. ‘‘The Akalis continue to dabble in Gurdwara affairs and politics despite having dropped the Panthic agenda,’’ he says.
Gurtej Singh, former IAS officer and the SGPC National Professor of Sikhism, says: ‘‘Previously, the Jathedars were appointed in consultation with different Sikh bodies and with the eminent people of the community.’’ But this ended with the era of Master Tara Singh and after that politicians sought to use the position of Jathedars to further their own agenda.
Others feel that the decline began when the militants started directing the SGPC to appoint Takhat Jathedars and other functionaries. The case of Gurbachan Singh Manochahal is a prime example.
Similarly, in January 1986, the SGPC was bypassed when a Sarbat Khalsa appointed Jasbir Singh Rode as the Akal Takhat Jathedar. It also constituted a five-member Panthic Committee with members like Manochahal and Wassan Singh Zafarwal.
The appointment of Rode and other high priests was first ratified by the SGPC. But they were sacked later when Tohra was in jail. Tohra then appointed Bhai Ranjit Singh to counter the militants. As Bhai Ranjit Singh was in jail at the time, Prof Manjit Singh acted as the Takhat Jathedar in his absence.
‘‘The golden era of Jathedars of Nawab Kapur Singh, Jassa Singh, Akali Phula Singh is over,’’ says Tohra. During the British period, Sarbrahs appointed by the British had to leave because of their conduct. It was after this that SGPC was given powers to appoint and sack Jathedars.
According to Tohra, sacking of a Jathedar used to be a rarity earlier. ‘‘(there were cases of) Giani Kartar Singh sacking Jathedar Acchar Singh and the one involving Rode,’’ he says, lamenting the trend of frequent sackings in recent times.
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