For Tagore, Banda was a hero, 'lion in shackles'

CHANDIGARH: The Sikh community may have taken years to offer its collective homage to the ascetic-turned-warrior, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, but his universal appeal was recognized by poets and intellectuals even before India became independent. Banda was immortalized in literature by one of the greatest poets of the times, Rabindranath Tagore.

It was in 1899 that the Nobel Laureate – whose 150th birth anniversary was celebrated on May 9, ahead of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh on May 14 —wrote his famous poem 'Bandi Bir' (Captive Hero) based on the Sikh warrior and his brave Sikh fighters who took on the tyrannical Mughal army despite being outnumbered and ill-equipped in terms of weapons. He sang paens to the great warrior, using terms like "singher moto shrinkhalgato" (lion in shackles) to describe his arrest by the Mughals.

The poem, which is part of the academic syllabus in every English and vernacular medium school of West Bengal, is also one of those powerful creations of Tagore which mothers love to teach their children, in every Bengali household. It was also universally recognised as a source of inspiration to several other Bengali writers as well as the militant youths of those times who were fighting for India's Independence.

"This poem can be found in the book of poems by Tagore – 'Katha-O-Kahini' and is an extremely popular, inspirational poem," says Rajat Kanta Ray, vice-chancellor of the Visva Bharati University. Katha-O-Kahini is a collection of Tagore's poems where the poet featured great inspirational figures, not just from Sikh community but also Rajput and Maratha war heroes, who set high standards of bravery and valour.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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British Sikh Re-elected as Director of UK Co-operative Society

Rashpal Singh Dhesi has successfully been re-elected as Director of the Midlands Co-operative Society, Western Regional Committee.

He has been a member of the Midlands Co-operative Society for over 39 years. He was employed by the society for over 33 years at Central Dairies, of which 25 years were in a management capacity. He has served on the Greater Midlands Area Committee for 15 years, of which 6 years were also on the Central Board. He is also a Magistrate in the City of Birmingham, Board member for the West Midlands Probation Board and Chair of the Audit Committee.

Having been a member of the society for over 39 years, he has a keen interest in the society and the Co-operative movement and a particular interest in developing active membership of the society.

With thanks : source : EMGONLINE : with link in headline above.

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Sikh Fateh March enters Punjab

Badal, Deputy CM greet the march at Shambhu; celebrations at Chappar Chiri tomorrow

The Sikh Fateh March from Nanded to Sirhind, to commemorate the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas, entered Punjab to a rousing welcome from the crowds on Wednesday. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, besides a number of religious leaders, were present to receive the march at Shambhu, on Punjab’s border with Haryana.

The Fateh March, which started last month from Nanded in Maharashtra, has till now travelled 2,500 kilometres, covering various states.

The march will culminate at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday. The state government is celebrating the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas in a big way at Chappar Chiri in Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14.

The day is celebrated to mark the victory of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in ousting the Mughals from Sirhind. Banda Bahadur, a trusted lieutenant of Guru Gobind Singh, had started his mission from Nanded to conquer Sirhind, in order to avenge the martyrdom of two Sahibzadas.

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With thanks : Source : Indian Express

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Sikh Marriage Act ready for Cabinet nod

If the assurances given by Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily to a delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on Wednesday are any indication, the draft of the Sikh Marriage Act is ready for ratification by the Union Cabinet. After clearance by the Cabinet, it will be introduced in Parliament at its next session.

Once passed, the Sikh Marriage Act will meet a long-standing demand of the community that has been fighting for an amendment to the Anand Marriage Act passed by the British in 1909. Under the Act, there will be a special provision for the registration of marriages performed under Sikh religious rights. Interestingly, Pakistan had taken the lead over India by adopting the amended Anand Marriage Act a couple of years ago.

Only yesterday, the Union Law Minister had given indications for amending the Special Marriage Act and not the Hindu Marriage Act. Incidentally, marriages performed under Sikh religious rights are registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. Now when the Special Marriage Act is being amended, provision for the registration of marriages performed according to the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 will also be incorporated.

Moily briefed the DSGMC delegation on the proposal. The delegation comprised Paramjit Singh Sarna, his brother Harvinder Singh Sarna besides Bhajan Singh Walia, Kartar Singh Kochhar, Gurmeet Singh Shunty and Rajinder Singh Chadha.

It discussed the statutory recognition to be given to the Sikh way of marriage known as Anand Karaj. The Minister said the Ministry of Law had cleared this long-pending demand and recommended it to the cabinet for enactment. This recognises the Sikh way of life by statutory enactment. Moily referred to his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and pertinent reference was made to Sonia Gandhi wherein she had taken note of genuine Sikh demands and decided in principle for the passing of the Sikh Marriage Act.

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With thanks : source : Tribune

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Sikhs set to reclaim lost heritage

LOHGARH: Sadhaura, Kapal Mochan, Bilaspur.... the names jump out of the pages of Sikh history books as the road from Naraiangarh in Haryana turns towards Yamunanagar, just short of the Kala Amb barrier in Himachal Pradesh. On the main road, though, there are not many who know the way to Lohgarh — the first capital of Khalsa Raj, which was established by brave Sikh General Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

The first helpful hint comes from a traffic cop, who points in the direction of the approaching Fateh Diwas march, from where a small group led by SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar would head for the still-elusive place. It is for the first time in independent India that the representative body is finally set to accord the regard and respect that the place deserves in Sikh history.

Lohgarh has till now remained an obscure place about which few local Sikhs are aware of even though it was the first capital of the community's rule. It's a difficult drive through narrow, hilly tracks, a river bed, and several dried, semi-dried nullahs which takes one to the place chosen by the SGPC to install the 'nishan sahib' (the Khalsa flag) at the site where a gurdwara would be constructed. It will also recreate the Lohgarh fort here as a befitting memorial to the Khalsa fauj and its leader, who defeated the nawab of Sirhind to avenge the killing of the two younger sons of the 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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Fire destroys Sikh Temple in central Reno

All that remains of the Sikh Temple at Locust and Second streets are a brick wall, charred wood and pieces of glass, after being gutted Monday night by what officials said was a suspicious fire.

The one-story concrete, flat-roof built in 1996 at the southwest corner of the intersection was engulfed in flames when Reno firefighters arrived about 11:30 p.m., Battalion Chief Dana Tucker said.

Firefighters knocked down the fire quickly, but steam flowed from the building for nearly an hour. Nearby homes were evacuated.

“It is a suspicious fire,” Tucker said, adding police said several burglaries had been reported in the neighborhood at the same time.

Inspectors are considering “all possibilities” said Operations Chief Joe DuRousseau.

Firefighters “did a good job,” said Balwinder Singh, a member of the temple who said the building was unoccupied after the priest left about 9 p.m.

“I don’t know yet about what we will do,” Singh said. “It’s just too… very emotional… all of our holy books, our whole library, that is all burned… that was everything to us.”

He said the members are banding together through the difficult time.

“We can be sad together, because what can we do about that? It’s very painful,” he said.

Josh Vestal, south of the temple, said his home was broken into Monday night about the same time as the fire.

Burglars broke a door window and stole his telephone, some DVDs his electric guitar and bass and also broke open his freezer with a pick ax, he said. Vestal said he was not at home until about 12:30 a.m.

“It was still smoking and flaming, but nothing like these images I have seen on the news (from the height of the blaze),” he said.

“I was worried that someone might have been inside (the temple),” he said.

With thanks : source : RGJ.com with link from headline above

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Live discussion on banned book triggers fresh controversy

Live discussion of the banned book Sikh Itihaas from gurdwaras in Delhi has added ammo to the ongoing controversy between president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna and president of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Amritsar Avtar Singh Makkar.

Makkar said legal action will be taken against those who still possess the book. “The book has been banned and if anyone has any copy, they can give it back to us,” he said.

The book was published in 1999 by the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC, Amritsar, during the tricentenary of the Khalsa Panth. It carried some distorted facts of the Sikh history following which the book was banned three years ago.

Two days ago, Jaswinder Singh Baliawal, Punjab president of SAD (Delhi), in an open letter to SGPC president Makkar raised some vital questions. Showing the letter to The Indian Express, Baliawal said, “Crores were spent on publishing this book, which had misleading facts. Instead of taking action against the culprits, a statement was issued saying the book has been banned and there should be no discussion on it; and if anyone indulges in discussion, legal action will be taken against the person. But what action has been taken against the secretary of Dharam Parchar Committee for publishing the book? By banning the book, will the issue be resolved? Was any Sikh scholar taken into confidence before publishing the book? And more importantly, who is the writer?”

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With thanks : source : Indian Express

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Banda's march got first Khalsa Raj

CHANDIGARH: Exactly 300 years ago, Chhapar Chiri, a small village near here, was witness to a historic battle which laid the foundation of first Khalsa Raj, founded by the great Sikh warrior — Baba Banda Bahadur.

As festivities for the tricentenary of the victory of Sirhind, fought at Chhapar Chiri, reach a crescendo on Tuesday, a massive march of Sikhs led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which started from Nanded in Maharashtra last month, would reach Lohgarh, the capital of first Khalsa Raj, now located in Himachal Pradesh. It is here that the SGPC is planning a major revival exercise for paying homage to the warrior who avenged the killings of two children of the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, by defeating the formidable army of the Governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan. The ruler had ordered that the Guru's children be bricked alive for not renouncing their faith.

The march assumes significance since it is probably the first time that the Sikhs are attempting, in an organised manner, to give due recognition to places associated with the life and times of ascetic-turned- warrior, who was handpicked by the Guru to lead the Sikhs. These include a gurdwara and a polytechnic college at his birthplace in Rajouri near Jammu, a memorial at Chhapar Chiri, Baba Banda Bahadur museum at Fatehgarh Sahib (named so to mark the 'fateh' (victory) of Sirhind) gurdwara and a fort at Lohgarh near Nahan, where the warrior set up the Khalsa Raj capital and ruled from an area called Mehlanwali.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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Sikh bodies divided over Fateh Diwas celebrations

Amritsar Divisions within the Sikh community have once again come to the fore, as they are all set to celebrate the tercentenary commemorating Baba Banda Singh Bahadur’s Sirhind-Fateh Diwas at Sirhind from May 12-14.

The state government and Badal-controlled Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee are flexing muscles to make the event “historic”, while various Sikh bodies, including the Sarna group and Opposition Congress, have vowed to stay away from the celebrations.

The anti-Badal Akali factions and Congress have termed the celebrations mere gimmicks to gain political mileage. The SGPC, however, is of the view that all Sikhs should participate in the function that marks 300 years of Sikh warriors defeating the then Mughal rulers of Sirhind state, following the demise of Guru Gobind Singh in Maharashtra in 1707.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Chief Paramjit Singh Sarna and his brother Harvinder Singh Sarna have already courted controversies for not taking part in the Fateh March that passed through Delhi last week on its way to Punjab from Maharshtra. Sikhs in large number had gathered all through its routes through Madhya Pradesh, UP, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, while Sarna had termed the march a total failure.

Though nearly all Sikhs revere Banda Bahadur, who established Sikh Raj and took revenge for the killings of Guru Gobind Singh and his family members, including his two young sons, political overtones to the celebrations are playing a spoilsport. Anti-Badal Sikh bodies feel Badal should have taken all into confidence before arranging the event. A mega function is on the anvil, where senior NDA leaders, including BJP top brass such as L K Advani and Nitin Gadkari, are expected to arrive along with chief ministers of various states.

Exhibition of Sikh artefacts, relics of the Gurus, Sikh congregations, religious prayers, mega martial art exhibition and seminars on Sikh history and culture will mark the occasion. “This is an opportunity for Sikhs to remember those great heroes who fought with valour to protect the religion with an unconquerable spirit,” said SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar.

Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was first reported to be willing to take part in the celebrations, security concerns and his other engagements forced him to postpone the visit. “We cannot force anyone to join us. The Congress is staying away and so are the Sarna brothers, but we are not bothered. It is a religious programme and they should take part in it. But Sarna is an agent of the Congress, so he will do what his political bosses direct him to do,” says Makkar.

He also said elephants, horses and great display of Sikh martial art Gatka will welcome the Fateh March arriving at Sirhind on May 12. “A national seminar on the life and philosophy of the great warrior, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, are already over,” he said, adding the SGPC will issue commemorative gold and silver coins to mark the occasion and a series of light and sound programmes will also be organised at various district headquarters to apprise people about the sacrifice of Baba to establish Sikh Raj.

Apart from this, a religious procession from Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, the birth place of Baba Bahadur, and village Gurdas Nangal in Gurdaspur, from where Baba was arrested, will reach at Sirhind. Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh body, today said they will take out a Khalsa Raj Parade from Chaparchiri to Sirhind on May 12.

In a statement, party spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh said the march will start from Chaparchiri, the place where Baba defeated and killed the Governor of Sirhind. “The march will conclude at Sirhind, where Baba unfurled the Saffron Nishan Sahib and established the first rule of Sikhs,” he said.

With thanks : Source : EXPRESSINDIA.COM : Detailed news can be viewed from Link in headline above.

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Plans for imparting religious tenets to Sikhs in Pak

Amritsar, May 10 (PTI) Sikh leadership today promised a Pakistani delegation that it would visit the neighbouring country in two months to impart tenets and customs to followers of the religion there.

Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh assured the Pakistani delegation that he would visit Pakistan along with Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar.

Addressing media with Pakistani Sikhs here, the Jatedhar said a team of Sikh priests and scholars would be sent to the neighbouring country for six months to teach the religion.

Detailed news can be viewed from the link in headline above.

With thanks : source : PTI

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Sikh history to be rewritten: SGPC chief

Patiala, May 10 (PTI) In view of doubts raised by some scholars, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today said the entire Sikh history would be reviewed and rewritten.

A history department would be established at the Sikh University at Fatehgrah Sahib for the task, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar told a new conference here.

Some writers and scholars were raising controversies and spreading negative publicity about the Sikh history, he said.

To put to rest such doubts, the SGPC, the apex religious body, would set up a department for reviewing and rewriting the history penned by Sikh and English scholars, Makkar said.

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With thanks : Source : PTI

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