Sikh religious sect head shot dead in Punjab

PTI

Hoshiarpur (Punjab): A Sikh religious sect leader in Punjab Sant Pradhan Singh was gunned down by armed miscreants in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab in the wee hours today, police said.

Unidentified persons armed with AK-47 gun opened fire on head of 'Dera Mai Dass (Nirmale sect)' at Baddon, seriously injurying him, they said.

He succumed to his bullet injuries on way to civil hospital in adjoining Phagwara, the sources said.

On hearing news of the death of the sect head many of his devotees thronged the civil hospital to have a glimpse of him.

Detailing about the incident, they said in wee hours today after offering prayer of Guru Granth Sahib in the hall of the Dera, Sant Pradhan Singh opened its gate.

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With thanks : source : DNAINDIA

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Keertan Darbar pics at Krishna nagar, Delhi

Shabad Chowki Jatha of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Krishna nagar organised a Keertan Darbar, on the occassion of Tri Centenary celebrations of the victory of Sirhind by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. He was the Sikh general who established the First sikh state in India by avenging the martyrdom of two sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji.

Later, the imperial army attacked and Baba Banda Singh was offered to choose between Islam and death. He chose to die rather than give up his beloved faith. This is when his torture began. His baby son was placed on his lap. His son's heart was ripped out. While his heart was still beating in his enemies hand it was forced into his mouth. Banda Singh was tortured, killed and then his head was placed on a spear and paraded around for all Sikhs to witness! Today, Banda Singh Bahadur is celebrated as a great warrior and the first Sikh ruler who established the first Sikh state.

It was a very well organised programme with a massive gathering of devotees from various parts of Delhi & NCR. The Ragee jathaas included Bhai Manpreet singh Kanpuri, Bhai Baldev singh Vadala as well Bhai Mehtab singh ji. The Gurudwara committee welcomed all the visitors that included Jathedar Gurcharan singh Gatka Master, Member DSGMC as well heads of various local gurdwara bodies. Guru ka langer was distributed amongst the devotees during the programme.

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Fateh march pics at Krishna nagar, Delhi

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Frame charges against Sajjan Kumar for 1984 riots: Court

A city court on Saturday ordered framing of charges against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and seven others for allegedly killing five people during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta passed the order. The court will now hear the matter May 18 when Kumar and others will present their defence.

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With thanks : Source : Hindustan Times

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UK hails its blue-eyed Sikh soldier

They number just 80 in the 150,000-strong British Army, but Sikh soldiers have become the toast of the fighting force.

Private Ranvir Singh, a reservist with 151 London Transport Regiment, is now the UK government’s ambassador tasked with building bridges with that country’s formidable Sikh population.

He is credited with dispelling rumours about bullying, harassment and racism in the British army and also encouraging young people to enlist.

Singh has been visiting Gurdwaras across England to reach out to the Sikh community and share his experiences in the Army.

The British army website quotes Singh’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Adrain Lee as saying, "The work Private Singh has done on behalf of the British Army has been exemplary. At a time when conflicts occur as much over ideals as over territory, ensuring good communication across community groups is critical."

The British army admits that his efforts have been instrumental in improving its relationship with the Gurdwaras and engaging effectively with Sikhs. The Army Community Liaisons Office for London says, "They (Sikhs) now see a face they recognise and that builds up a trust with the Sikh community and the army."

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With thanks : source : Hindustan Times

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Three memorials for Punjab martyrs: CM

Fatehgarh sahib The Punjab government has decided to set up three memorials for its martyrs. While one such memorial would come up in Chhappar Chiri in memory of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, two others would come up at Sangrur and Gurdaspur, in the memory of thousands of people who lost their lives in the mass killings.

This was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while paying tributes to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur on the tercentenary celebrations of the Sirhind Fateh Diwas, on Friday. The celebrations were held on the culmination of the Fateh Diwas march, from Nanded in Maharashtra to Fatehgarh Sahib, covering 2,500 kms in about a month and a half.

Badal said the memorial at Chhappar Chiri would be set up in 20 acres and would have a museum, a fateh minar and a light and sound show to highlight the bravery of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Besides, it will also have statues of Banda Singh Bahadur and his generals Fateh Singh and Baaz Singh.

The other two memorials, Badal said, would come up at Kup Rohira near Malerkotla in Sangrur and near Kahnuwan in Gurdaspur district, where thousands of Sikhs sacrificed their lives fighting the Mughals. He said these memorials would go a long way to perpetuate the memory of these great historic events which are an integral part of our rich legacy.

Addressing the gathering, Badal dared the Congress party to shun its nefarious designs to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. He criticised the Congress for with working through its agents to create communal tension in the state as it had no political agenda of its own.

The chief minister said Punjab had a history of sacrifices and urged the people of the state to draw inspiration from the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs from the state. He also called for ending the menace of drug addiction as the great Sikh general had played a vanguard role in the eradication of intoxicants and abolition of zamindari system during his regime.

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With thanks : source : ExpressIndia

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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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