Mastuana temple to effect structural changes: Akal Takht

Mastuana temple to effect structural changes: Akal Takht
21 Jun 2009, 0511 hrs IST, Yudhvir Rana, TNN

AMRITSAR: Coming down heavily on the management of Mastuana gurdwara for reportedly planning a replica of the venerated Golden Temple, Sikh religious bodies and intellectuals who gathered under the aegis of Akal Takht on Saturday called for demolition of domes, doing away with a pond and changing the structure's name of Sri Guru Singh Sabha.

Unleashing the broadside at a meeting convened by him at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, while talking to the media later, said, "My statement is to be treated as hukamnama. The congregation of Sikh religious bodies has decided that the gurdwara'a sarovar be filled with earth, Har Ki Pauri and four domes be demolished and its name changed."

Appearing unforgiving towards Baba Baldev Singh Suharaewala for hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs with a Golden Temple look-alike, formerly known as Gurdwara Sach Khand, Angitha Sahib, the jathedar added, "He will be summoned to Akal Takht for submitting a clarification."

The changes will reportedly be effected under the supervision of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee engineers to rule out any likening whatsoever to Harmandar Sahib.

The meeting which lasted for nearly two-and-a-half hours was attended by representatives of 55 different Sikh religious bodies, including Nighang organizations, SGPC president and office bearers and former central minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. In fact, some radical Sikh groups like Dal Khalsa even demanded the pulling down of the complete gurdwara.

Incidentally, jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh left the meeting in between, expressing his resentment over the presence of jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib Giani Iqbal Singh.

with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/Mastuana-temple-to-effect-structural-changes-Akal-Takht/articleshow/4682432.cms

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Protesters rush B.C. Sikh temple

Hundreds of people crowded at Abbotsford, B.C., temple Thursday evening to protest a performance by a controversial high priest.

Baba Mann Singh Pehowa, a priest who has faced allegations of rape in India, was supposed to sing at the Kalghidar Sikh temple, but he never made it to the microphone.Hundreds of protesters rushed the temple.

Police officers were on scene working to control the crowd.Pehowa waited inside the temple, and was eventually given a police escort out of Abbotsford.

In addition to being accused of rape in India, it is also alleged he has committed blasphemous acts in the Sikh religion, such as having people bow down to him.

Pehowa has faced similar protests during visits to Australia and the United States.

with thanks : source : http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/06/18/bc-abbotsford-temple-protest.html

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Independent Rajya Sabha Sikh MP Tarlochan Singh, the former chairman of National Commission for Minorities in India

Shastar Vidya camp finished at Delhi

SikhsIndia
18th June, 2009

Jathedar Gurcharan Singh ji, popularly known as Gatka Master or Ustad ji, organised a Gatka camp of 30 days, at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Krishna Nagar, Delhi. A good number of boys & girls including small kids of 3 years participated in the camp. On the last day of the camp i.e. today, all the participants played gatka in front of a massive gathering. Viewing small kids playing Gatka was a pleasent surprise for one & all. Jathedar Gurcharan Singh ji is a Member of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee as well Chairman of Guru Harkrishan Public school, Hargobind enclave, Delhi.

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Sikh Jatha returns from Pakistan after observing 403rd Martyrs Day

By Ravinder Singh Robin

Attari (Punjab), June 17 - ANI: After observing 403rd Martyrs Day of Guru Arjan Dev, the 5th master of the Sikhs, the Sikh Jatha (group) of nearly 200 devotees returned at Attari railway station from Pakistan on Wednesday through a special train.

The group, during its 10 days stay in Pakistan, visited Nankana sahib, Sacha Sauda, Rohri sahib, Punja Sahib and Gurdara Dera sahib in Lahore.

A few members of the group had an opportunity to visit Gurdara Kartarpur sahib situated in Narowal district of Pakistan Punjab.

The main function was held at Gurdwara Dera Sahib where nearly 5000 devotees from all over the world assembled to observe the Martyrdom Day of their 5th master.

Devotees returning from Pakistan opined that the Government of Pakistan should give country-wide visa so that they could have visited other Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

There are more nearly 172 historical Sikh shrines in Pakistan but Pakistan grants specific visa to visit only 5 of them.

The devotees demanded that the Heads of the Governments of India and Pakistan should take these issues on their top agendas and facilitate the pilgrimages.

Every year thousands of devotees from India visit Pakistan to pay obeisance to their holy shrines.

Sikhs considered Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev the first Sikh master, as their Mecca.

The devotees have been demanding a corridor to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, which is situate in Pakistan nearly 2.5 kilometres from Dera Baba Nanak, which is on the Indian side. - ANI

with thanks : source : http://www.littleabout.com/news/18814,sikh-jatha-returns-pakistan-observing-403rd-martyrs-day.html

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Legendry Sikh artist Dya Singh is an icon of the Australian music scene

Dya Singh is an icon of the Australian music scene and has quietly gained a phenomenal 'standing' worldwide as a 'world music' artist in the last 15 or so years. Dya Singh is one of the many Indian artists that MAV supports and promotes through our mission to foster cultural diversity and respect through the promotion, enhancement and celebration of multicultural arts in Australia. His 'world music' and 'Sikh spiritual' music group has travelled to USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Kenya, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand and throughout Australia since its formation in 1994. He is now based in Melbourne

Dya Singh has extraordinary musical talent and knowledge and he has enormous skills that he has contributed to the musical sector in Australia both musically and culturally. He is a highly valued artistic individual benefiting not only the Sikh community, but the wider Australian community with his knowledge and capabilities in music. He believes music is a way to bring communities together and create understanding.

These are the excerpts from Article " Legendry Sikh artist Dya Singh is an icon of the Australian music scene".

You can read the complete News / Article at : http://www.emgonline.co.uk/news.php?news=5709

With thanks : Source : As above

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SIKHSINDIA
16th June, 2009
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Jewish community honours Sikh philanthropist

Jewish community honours Sikh philanthropist
By ANDY LEVY-AJZENKOPF, Staff Reporter
Thursday, 18 June 2009

TORONTO — The Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto last week honoured Sarabjit S. “Sabi” Marwah with the 2009 Words & Deeds Leadership Award.

The award is presented to community “leaders whose contribution to humanitarian causes, tolerance and inclusion in Canadian society has been outstanding,” according to CIJA and UJA Federation.

Marwah – vice-chair and chief operating officer of Scotiabank – was fêted at a gala dinner at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto by more than 700 guests, including numerous dignitaries, politicians and Jewish and Sikh community leaders. He was recognized for his ongoing philanthropic efforts with United Way Toronto, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and his previous service on the Board of Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.

In his acceptance speech, Marwah thanked the Jewish community for the award and said Jews and Sikhs share many commonalities.

“The fact that I, a Sikh, am being honoured tonight by the Jewish community is a striking illustration of our common humanity,” he said.

“I recently learned of a Jewish proverb that says ‘do not be wise in words, be wise in deeds,’ which is what this award is all about,” he added. “It is also reminiscent of a Sikh tenet which [states], ‘Being good is a virtue; but doing good is a greater virtue.’”

with thanks : source : http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17119&Itemid=86

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Outrage over Golden Temple replica in Punjab

Outrage over Golden Temple replica in Punjab
15 Jun 2009, 1126 hrs IST, IANS

SANGRUR, PUNJAB: The Sikh leadership in Punjab is furious over attempts by a sect to replicate the design and structure of their holiest shrine -
the Golden Temple or Harmandar Sahib at Amritsar.

Reminiscent of the huge row after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had sought to imitate the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, by wearing look-alike robes in April 2007, the private shrine in Punjab's Sangrur district, 170 km from Chandigarh, seems to have upset everyone -- from common devotees to the apex Sikh clergy and the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

While an indignant SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has ordered the management of the Gurudwara Sachkhand Angeetha Sahib at Mastuana to halt further construction on the structure, the head priest of the Akal Takht (the highest temporal seat of Sikhism), Giani Gurbachan Singh has declared it "sacrilegious".

"No one will be allowed to make a replica of Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple)," the Akal Takht head said.

A probe panel sent by the SGPC to Sangrur recorded video evidence and said in its report that the sect was trying to replicate Sikhism's holiest shrine. The panel reported "a blatant attempt to copy the design of Harmandar Sahib".

The roots of the controversy go back 40 years ago.

The shrine, owned by the cash-rich Mastuana Dera headed by Sant Sadhu Singh, has been under construction since 1967. It had provoked similar controversy when its outer shape became apparent in the early 1990s and the then Akal Takht Jathedar had issued a Hukumnama (religious edict) barring its completion till key structural changes were made.

The Mastuana sect comprises of Sikh followers, mostly from the lower-strata of society. Its main influence is limited to a part of south-west Punjab's agricultural belt of Malwa.

Recent attempts to restart work on the incomplete shrine have provoked angry objections.

SGPC chief Makkar has summoned a meeting (Sarbat Khalsa) of important Sikh leaders and religious organisations at Amritsar on June 20 to decide on the fate of the Mastuana Gurudwara. He said any attempt to replicate the sacred Harmandar Sahib built by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan dev himself, "would not be tolerated".

The Mastuana shrine management has submitted a written apology to the Akal Takht but its fate will be known Saturday.

"The issue, including specific directions on necessary structural alterations will only be issued after the June 20 meeting," a SGPC spokesman said.

The issue is expected to raise further acrimony amidst demands that the controversial Golden Temple replica be pulled down completely. SGPC chief Makkar has said he wants to "settle the matter once and for all".

With thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Outrage-over-Golden-Temple-replica/articleshow/4657572.cms

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Video of Golden Temple replica by IBNlive

Plz view the Video at :
http://www.sohnijodi.com/sikhsindia%20sikhsnews1.htm


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World Blood Donor Day on June14th

Please Donate your blood on the World Blood Donor Day on June14th.

Thanks & Regards

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