Coin released to mark Fateh Diwas tercentenary

The Shatabdi Purab Committee of Mohali on Friday released a commemorative replica of the coin released by Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710 in the name of the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev.

Releasing the coin during celebrations of the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas, committee convener Hardeep Singh, who is a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said the coin does not bear the name or stamp of any organisation and has the same language (Farsi/Persian) as used by Banda Bahadur in 1710 on both sides of the coin.

Singh said the residents of Mohali and its vicinity who desire to have the coin, will be sent the coin free of cost at their doorsteps. The first coin was presented to a local resident.

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With thanks : source : Indian Express

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Mandira's tattoo leaves Akal Takht fuming

AMRITSAR: Model-turned-actress and TV anchor Mandira Bedi has once again earned the ire of the Sikh community for sporting an Ek Onkar (God is one) tattoo on her nape, with community leaders threatening to drag her to court for hurting religious sentiments if she did not have the tattoo removed immediately.

On Wednesday, Mandira Bedi, who attended a dealers meet of Jaypee Cement at Zirakpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh along with Sachin Tendulkar, flaunted the tattoo with the symbol in Gurmukhi on her bare nape, leading to protests.

This was the second time she is facing the wrath of the Sikhs, after she was warned by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2007 for walking the ramp with the same tattoo on.

Bedi said on Wednesday that she respected the religious sentiments of the Sikhs and that she had planned to undergo a plastic surgery to have it removed but could not find time.

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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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Now, Gadkari angers Sikhs

FATEHGARH SAHIB: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari's troubles aren't over yet. After having rubbed Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav the wrong way, Gadkari and his colleagues on Friday repeatedly referred to the Sikh general, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, as 'Banda Veer Bairagi.' The reference is something the Sikh community considers as a "deep seated conspiracy of RSS and BJP to discredit the Khalsa 'swaroop'.

The BJP leaders, including Balbir Punj and Punjab cabinet minister Manoranjan Kalia addressed a gathering during the tercentenary celebrations of the Sirhind Fateh Diwas at Fatehgarh Sahib, about 50 km from Chandigarh.

The celebrated Sikh general and his men had defeated the province of Sirhind, in May 1710 in what is considered as a major blow to the Mughals and then went on to establish the first, though short-lived, Khalsa Raj in the area.

Interestingly, just before the BJP chief spoke, Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, had warned the community against "distortions in the history" showing Banda Singh Bahadur in bad light and present him in the 'bairagi (ascetic) 'swaroop' instead of the Amritdhari Sikh that he had become.

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With thanks : Source : Times of India

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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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