Baba Banda Singh Bahadur memorial in a year: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced on Thursday that the state government would dedicate a world-class heritage memorial to commemorate the victory of Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and his soldiers over the Mughals in Chhapar Chiri village near Mohali, within a year.

Addressing a religious congregation on the eve of the tercentenary celebrations of Baba Banda Bahadur’s Sirhind Fateh Diwas in Chappar Chiri, Badal said the design of the project had already been selected by the panel of top architects of the country, which has now been referred to the high-powered committee, comprising eminent Sikh intellectuals and academicians, for its final approval.

He disclosed that the state government had already given in-principle approval to give 20 acres at a cost of Rs 20 crore for construction of the heritage memorial, which would house Minar-e-Fateh, a museum, an open air auditorium for light and sound shows to depict the life and philosophy of Sikh warriors.

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With thanks : source : Indian Express

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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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