Gur-Ta-Gaddi Tercentenary Celebration, 300th year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib

Gur-Ta-Gaddi Tercentenary Celebration, 300th year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib
Guru de darshan Saibaba Travels ( 09823167777 ) de naal

In this Glorious year of 2008.When sikhism completes 300 years of Gurship.

The tercentenary celebration of the Guruship of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is to be undertaken on a massive scale in October 2008 at Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, India. The historic town of Nanded is an important place in Sikhi because it is where in October 1708, Guru Gobind Singh ended the chain of human Guruship and endowed the spiritual throne to the Holy Granth. The town is also important as Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, one of the five temporal thrones or seats of authority is located here. This is where Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Teacher, is known to have meditated on the banks of river Godavari and where he spent his final days.

Many other Gurdwaras worldwide will also be celebrating this important milestone in Sikh history with their own special events and festivities. The main Sikh Gurdwara situated in Nanded where the tenth Guru handed over the Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib are undergoing a huge rebuilding exercise to facilitate the large inflow of pilgrims for this rare, hugely important and once-in-a-lifetime occasion for the Sikhs and also for the whole of the world. Many new facilities are being created to cater for this unprecedented occasion.

This event is of great relevance to the worldwide Sikh Community and will involve the remembrance of the 300th years of consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the final and perpetual Guru of Sikhs as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh in 1708. The event will also commemorate the 300th anniversary of the accession of Guru Gobind Singh to his heavenly abode. The Guru Granth Sahib is regarded as the guiding light for the Sikh. Many non-Sikhs also have tremendous respect for the teachings contained within the pages of this Holy Scripture. On this momentous occasion, both non-Sikhs and Sikhs alike will join hands in millions to honour the high principles of peace, equality, unity, forgiveness and the many other high and noble messages promoted by the Guru.

The main celebrations at Nanded will be over 8 days and will be conducted in the month of October 2008. It is estimated that this event will attract 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 visitors from all over the world during the last three months of 2008. Many new facilities are being built and the State Government has great plans for this event.

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Gurbachan Singh formerly appointed acting Jathedar of Akal Takht

Gurbachan Singh formerly appointed acting Jathedar of Akal Takht
Amritsar, Aug.7 (ANI): Heads of various Sikh organizations on Thursday witnessed the annointment and coronation of Giani Gurbachan Singh as the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh community.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the largest representative body of the Sikhs, had appointed Giani Gurbachan Singh as a new acting Jathedar of Akal Takht on Tuesday following the resignation of Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti.
Before taking over as the acting Jathedar of the Akal takht, Gurbachan Singh was the Head Priest of the Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. His annointment was performed by the Giani Mohan Singh, the additional head Granthi of the Golden Temple and he was followed by the other four high priests of the Sikh community in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
The Sikh community has five Takhts, a sacred seat of the Sikhs, namely Sri Akal Takhat Sahib , Sri Damdama Sahib, Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Sri Hazur Sahib and Sri Patna Sahib and each Takht is headed by a Jathedar, the high Sikh clergy.
The heads of various organization including SGPC, Sant Samaj, Damidami Taksal, Akhand Kirtani Jatha and Nihang organizations etc, were present.
It is pertinent to mention that Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti alleged that SGPC has forcefully taken his resignation on Monday. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar refuted the charges and said that Vedanti had tendered his resignation of his own free will.
While addressing the gathering at Akal Takht on the occasion of the coronation ceremony, Makkar said the Sikh community is facing many challenges in many shapes including Dera culture, drug abuse and apostate in Sikh youths. He appealed to all Sikh organizations to unite to fight these challenges and to strengthen the hands of the Jathedar of the Akal Takht.
The tradition for the appointment of Jatehdar came in practice during the era of sixth Sikh Guru (master) Hargobind Sahib who laid the foundation of Akal Takht and appointed Bhai Gurdas as first Jathedar Akal Takht who remained up to the year of 1694.
Expressing gratitude to all Sikh organizations specially the DamDami Taksal, the newly appointed acting Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh requested for cooperation from the Sikh Diaspora to maintain the supremacy of the Akal Takht and for the chardi kalan (high spirits) of the Sikh community. However, the Jathedar refrained from speaking on controversial issues like the Dera Sirsa , Turban and Sikh identity etc. in his maiden address to the community.
SGPC came in existence in the year of 1920 and Gurbachan Singh is the 24th Jathedar of the Akal Takht. (ANI)
source-http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/gurbachan-singh-formerly-appointed-acting-jathedar-of-akal-takht_10081061.html

Thousands in Hydrabad pay obeisance at

Thousands in Hydrabad pay obeisance at
Hyderabad - "Guru Manyo Granth Jagriti Yatra", an all India journey to celebrating and commemorating the 300 years (tercentenary) of the installation (consecration) of Sri Guru Granth Sahibji (Guruta Gaddi Diwas) and Parlokgaman (heavenly abode) of tenth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh is in city. Thousands of devotees, especially Sikhs of twin cities paid obeisance to the religious procession ceremoniously carrying the Sikh holy book - Guru Granth Sahibji - and weapons of Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh since it arrived in city on Tuesday evening. It is for the first time that rare 'shastras' (weapons) of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, said to be 300 years old, have been taken out from Hazoor Sahib for display. Today the huge procession started from the Gurudwara Guru Singh Sabha, Ashok Bazaar and will proceed to NTR Stadium, Indira Park. The Yatra is in city till 1 August 2008.

The Jagriti Yatra with the huge procession carries with itself the handwritten saroop Sri Guru Granth Sahibji and other relics, along with rare weapons (shastars) used by Guru Gobind Singhji to fight against the oppressors in the country. Especially designed buses are carrying these articles from Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, Nanded. Devotees were seen queuing up since morning along the Yatra’s route to catch a glimpse of the glass-encased carriage with the weapons. The Yatra today travelled through various localities such as Uppuguda, Goshamahal, Begum Bazar Chatri, Siddiamber Bazar, Koti, Sultan Bazaar, Kachiguda, Narayanguda, RTC X Roads and will reach NTR Stadium in the evening.

The colourful Yatra led by Police horses, the procession included ‘Kirtani Jathas’ and ‘Gatka’ (Sikh Martial form) performers. The `palki', which is the centre of all attraction is adorned with orchids and tastefully decorated. It has gold plated tombs on the top and a glass screen through which one could see the weapons of Guru Gobind Singh and the hand written Guru Granth Sahib. Meanwhile, people gathered all along the roads much before the yatra arrived so that they could be part of the celebrations. The Yatra was showered with flower petals by a private helicopter.

While the ladies sangat swept the divine pathway of the Yatra, the men folk formed a human chain to facilitate the smooth progress of the Yatra. The procession, more than a two kilometer long, is moving slowly to keep up with the frenzy of the devotees who wish to bow their heads before the palki and make offerings. An endless distribution of `prasad' was on throughout the day and `sewadars' did all they could to welcome the historic yatra.

Today evening, a Vishaal Deewan will be organised at the Stadium in which reputed Ragi Jathas will recite Shabad Keertans in the evening. A grand event will be organised at NTR stadium where "SHASTAR DE DARSHAN (EXHIBITION OF RARE WEAPONS OF SRI GURU GOBIND SINGHJI)" will be exhibited for the benefit of devotees. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy will be chief guest for the function at NTR Stadium. Several State Cabinet ministers will also participate. Later in the night, there will be display of fire works. The Yatra will move to Gurudwara Guru Singh Sabha, Ashok Bazar for night halt.

The yatra has covered more than 150 cities of India across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and now Andhra Pradesh.
source-http://www.panthic.org/news/126/ARTICLE/4263/2008-08-01.html

The Tercentenary Celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi

Sikh Identity
In order to make it easier for his followers to recognize each other, Gobind Singh, chose five marks, some of which even today symbolize the Sikhs. The five signs were, uncut hair, comb; sword or dagger; bracelet on the right wrist and shorts. The religious Sikhs dress according to Guru Gobind Singh’s order, carrying a sword.

Sikh Place Worship: Gurudwara
A Sikh place of worship is called Gurudwara. Sikhism does not support pilgrimage to holy sites because according to Sikhism, God is everywhere and not in any certaini place. But Sikhism has a few important sites, of which, the Hari Mandir, also known as the ‘Golden Temple’ in Amritsar in Punjabi is the most important site and is considered the holiest shrine of Sikhism.

The Five Takhts of Sikhism:
Sr. No. Takht Location
1. Akal Takht Amritsar (Punjab)
2. Harimandir Saheb Patna (Bihar)
3. Kesgarh Saheb Anandpur (Punjab)
4. Huzur Sahib Nanded (Maharashtra)
5. Damdama Sahib Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda (Punjab)


The Sikh religion has five main Takhts or Seats of Power spread all along the Country, which shows the spread and the vastness of the religion.
The Tercentenary Celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi
The tercentenary celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi to be celebrated at the Takhat-Sachkhand Gurudwara at Nanded is of great relevance to the Sikh Community. This involves the remembrance of the 300th (Tri Shatabdi) year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the last guru of Sikh community by Guru Gobind Singhji. The event will also commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Parlok Gaman of Guru Gobind Singhji. The event will be of 8 days duration and will be conducted in the month of October 2008. The event will attract estimated pilgrims of 25-30 Lacs from all over the world.

Indraprastha University and The NIS Academy Sign MoU to bring excellence in Retail Education

Indraprastha University and The NIS Academy Sign MoU to bring excellence in Retail Education
Indraprastha University and The NIS Academy Sign MoU to bring excellence in Retail Education Weekend classes make it easy for Graduates and Working Professionals to hone their Retail Skills

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGS I.P. University) and The NIS Academy, today, signed a MoU, to launch a three-month Certificate Course in Retail. The MoU was signed by Prof. R.K. Mittal, Dean, GGS I.P University and Mr.Manoj Chawla, Senior Vice President and Head Employability Solutions Group, NIS Sparta in the presence of Prof. K.K Aggwaral, Vice Chancellor of the GGS I.P University

The Certificate Course in Retail is targeted at the graduates and the working professionals, eager to make a mark in the booming Retail industry. The plan to launch the first batch by 26 July 2008 was also announced, on the occasion.

The 3 month short term, Certificate course in retail, will be offered as a weekend course, to train students in the area of Retail Selling Skills, Customer Service, Soft Skills, Basics of Retailing and Retail Store SOPs (Standard Operational Procedures). The initiative is expected to ensure a steady supply of the ‘Floor Ready’ manpower for the Retail industry to help bridge the manpower demand and supply gap that exists today. This will also enable the retail organisations to attract efficient, effective and productive human talent, leading to savings on training costs.

Speaking on the MoU, Prof. K.K Aggarwal, Vice Chancellor, GGS I.P University, said “Industry-Academia partnerships in creating certified manpower will not only contribute to the hugely growing demand for manpower, but also enable quality education through University certified programmes. We are pleased to partner with NIS Academy in this initiative to offer a Certificate Program in Retail.”

Highlighting the significance of the partnership, Mr. Manoj Chawla, Senior Vice President and Head Employability Solutions Group, NIS Sparta said, “We at The NIS Academy are focusing on enhancing employability of young and aspiring Indians. GGS I.P. University is also dedicated to the cause of offering quality education to promising young Indians. Through this tie-up we hope to leverage on each others strengths to offer job oriented vocational, training and empowerment programme.”


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About The NIS Academy

The NIS Academy is a division of NIS Sparta Ltd (Reliance-ADA Group company), Asia’s leading training, education and learning solutions provider. In addition to academic knowledge, The NIS Academy aims to hone the student’s professional skills in areas like team building, enhancing flexibility and adaptability, increasing ability to deal with ambiguity and stress, tackling challenges and taking initiatives. These skills are not found in any curriculum and need to be enhanced or developed. The rigorous training provided at The NIS Academy equips students with knowledge, skills and attitudes to succeed and make them market ready.

Possessing over 17 years experience in the learning and training domain, the NIS Academy offers programmes that are based on innovative and interactive teaching methodologies derived from the experience of training the corporate world. In effect, the NIS Academy brings the Corporate to the Classroom.
source-http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/retail/2008060910166.htm

Darshan Singh's Anti-Dasam Granth Phobia

Darshan Singh's Anti-Dasam Granth Phobia
Controversial Ragi, Darshan Singh who has recently been declared 'Pakka Tankhayia' (habitual offender) for his anti Panthic activities and for defying the Hukamnamas of Sri Akal Takht Sahib is busy touring and playing with the emotions of the sangat by instilling a fake fear of the 'Dasam Bani' among them.

The Rehat, Amrit, Nitnem and Ardas of the Khalsa have its origin in both Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. However Ragi is propagating an imaginary conflict between the banis of these two pious Granths and is busy cashing this imaginary conflict with his notion of restoring honor for Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

"Recently while leaving a Gurdwara in Vancouver Ragi was physically confronted by Singhs after he refused to answer their queries..."



When the whole Sikh nation has focused its attention on Takht Sri Hazur Sahib for the 300 year celebrations of the Gurgaddi Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ragi Darshan Singh is stooping low by advising Sikhs not to go to Takht Sahib and participate in those celebrations. Ragi has also used this occasion for using derogatory and offensive language for the 'Dasam Bani'.

From his latest discourses on the 'Dasam Banis' it is quite obvious that the Ragi, has a microscopic knowledge about it. At one instance he even made a mockery of himself by asserting that there are more than 15 beerhs of Sri Dasam Granth that are assigned to Bhai Mani Singh Ji. He crossed all limits of sanity when he took out a paid advertisement in a newspaper owned by an excommunucated Sikh where he proposed setting up of a panel to discuss the authenticity of 'Jaap Sahib', 'Benti Chaupai' and other Nitnem banis.

These were some reasons that Akal Takht Sahib had issued a Hukamnama on January 8, 2007 asking Sangat to beware of Ragi for his lies and deceit.

"...he has found a fan base among members of the 'Kala Afghana' cult...they have found a new messiah in the form of the Ragi who can carry on with their anti Panthic agenda."



Interestingly the controversial Ragi has always used the panthic stage to fulfill his own political ambitions. His style of 'kirtan' also contradicts and defies the norm given in the Sikh Rehat Maryada. He has always distorted Gurbani to convey his political message. That is exactly what he is also doing right now. He supposedly had faith in the 'Dasam Bani' and was doing keertan from it to have a political mileage during the height of political crises in Punjab. Now that the political arena in Punjab has changed, so have Darshan Singh's political ambitions. Over the last few years he had been seen hobnobbing with the top Congress leaders and sharing political stage with them. On one occasion, giving a speech from a political stage shared by Capt. Amrinder Singh and other top Congress leaders, he even went to the extent of abdicating Congress for the 1984 anti Sikh pogroms thus backstabbing the whole panth. Apart from working towards fulfilling his political ambitions the Ragi was busy showing off his acting skills by featuring in a bollywood film in 1984, when on the other hand the whole panth was facing the brute force of the State.

While being the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib he himself had issued Hukamnamas from there and had declared people 'Tankhaiyas'. By defying the Hukammanas of Sri Akal Takht , he is now challenging the same authority he once headed.

Day by day Ragi is getting marginalized and has already been banned from various Gurdwaras in Toronto. However not surprisingly he has found a fan base among members of the 'Kala Afghana' cult. After the demise of Kala Afghana from the Sikh panth they have found a new Messiah in the form of the Ragi who can carry on with their anti Panthic agenda. Recently while leaving a Gurdwara in Vancouver Ragi was physically confronted by Singhs after he refused to answer their queries regarding his recent blasphemous comments on 'Dasam Bani' and his defiance towards various Hukamnamas.



In the same Gurdwara people were seen giving Ragi a standing ovation in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib on his departure from the Diwan hall. Ragi didn't seem to be affected with such contempt and bedabi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Sikh Maryada obligates the sangat to rise only when the saroop of Guru Granth Sahib comes or leaves and not when a person leaves.

It may be recalled that once when Indira Gandhi entered a Diwan in Delhi where Sri Guru Granth Sahib was parkash a few from the sangat stood up in her honor. Sant Kartar Singh Bhindranwale who was also sitting on the stage took a strong exception to such a gesture given to Indira in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Ragi is however more concerned about saving his own skin and getting as many such gestures, and muster as much support as he could, given that now the Panth has seriously started taking notice of his blasphemy and Guru Nindya.
source-http://www.panthic.org/news/129/ARTICLE/4115/2008-05-23.html

Vedanti launches Guru Granth celebrations in N. America

Vedanti launches Guru Granth celebrations in N. America
LOS ANGELES: Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the head of Sikhs’ highest seat Akal Takhat, formally launched the Tri-Centennial Celebration of the Ordination of Sri Guru Granth as the Sikhs’ eternal guru at the International Seminar held here. He was welcomed by the representatives of many Sikh organizations and given a plaque of honor by Los Angeles County Commissioner Mahesh Parekh.

The last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ordained the Granth as the Eternal Guru in the last sermon he delivered in 1708. To celebrate the occasion a Seminar on “Shabad Guru” was held on May 6, 2008 at the Baha’i Center Auditorium. It was sponsored by Guru Ram Das Sikh Mission of America (GRDSMA) chaired by Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa.

Addressing the Symposium, Jathedar Vedanti said this seminar would be followed by a series of such seminars all over the world to commemorate this auspicious occasion.

Gurutej Singh Khalsa-Founder and Senior Vice President of Akal Security- spoke on teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as taught to him by Jogi Harbhajan Singh. He recited a poem dedicated to the Shabad Guru.

Keynote speaker Dr. Bhai Harbans Lal traced the history of the compilation of the Guru Granth and highlighted the spiritual doctrines it offered for peace, harmony and prosperity of the world global village. Dr. Hakam Singh pleaded for the understanding and the practice of the teachings contained in the Guru Granth for many real benefits it offered.

Dr. Inderjit Kaur Khalsa asked the audience to undertake a pilgrimage to Hazur Sahib in India for the grand celebration of the Tri- Centennial.

Didar Singh Bains who is recognized for excellence in the California farming industry as well as Sikh leadership in America and was recently recognized with a title of Panth Rattan joined other speakers in highlighting the significance of the Guru Granth Celebration.

Giani Ranjit Singh former head granthi of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee asked for promotion of the language of the Guru Granth among Sikh youth. He proposed a vote of thanks to the organizers and the speakers of the seminar.

The seminar was attended by members of several Sikh gurdwaras and Sikh organizations of Los Angeles and State of California. Many traveled from Canada, New York, Texas, and Arizona to attend this seminar. The speakers and dignitaries attending the seminars were honored by plaques presented by Jathedar Vedanti, Bibi Inderjit Kaur, and Bhai Satpal Singh.
source-http://worldsikhnews.com

Why is Darshan Singh facing the wrath of the Panth?

Ragi Dismisses Nitnem, Bachitar Natak, Bhai Gurdas II Ji's Vaars ?

Ragi Darshan Singh, the ex-Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, again stirred further controversy when he stated that there is absolutely no need for Sikhs to recite any banee outside of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, indirectly dismissing all external Banees, including that of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. All Sikhs are required to recite the 7 daily banees, 4 of them contain verses directly from the Dasam Granth.

Ragi Darshan Singh’s dismissal of all other Banees except that which is compiled in Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a direct attack on the Sacred Sikh Nitnem and the Amrit Sanchar Ceremony--in which Dasam Patshah’s Banees Jaap Sahib, Swaiyay, and Chaupai Sahib are read. Furthermore the Sikh ardaas and Sikh Salutation (Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh) is taken directly from the contents of the Dasam Granth.

In recent weeks, the ragi has made similar remarks against the verses in Bachitter Natak and the Vaars of Bhai Gurdas Ji II. Most the attacks by Darshan Singh were made from the stages of Gurdwara managed by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), yet the Committee has failed to put a lease on the ragi's offensive activities. The DSGMC needs to take a firm stand on this matter, as others have in Nanded and Punjab.
get more details http://www.panthic.org/news/131/ARTICLE/3846/2008-01-24.html

Nanak X. Guru Gobind Singh ji(1675 - 1708)

Nanak X. Guru Gobind Singh ji(1675 - 1708)

The tenth and the last Guru or Prophet-teacher of the Sikh faith, was born Gobind Rai Sodhi on Poh 7, 1723 sk/22 December 1666 at Patna, in Bihar. His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru, was then travelling across Bengal and Assam. Returning to Patna in 1670, he directed his family to return to the Punjab. On the site of the house at Patna in which Gobind Rai was born and where he spent his early childhood now stands a sacred shrine, Takht Sri Harimandar Sahib, one of the five most honoured seats of religious authority (takht, lit. throne) for the Sikhs. Gobind Rai was escorted to Anandpur (then known as Chakk Nanaki)on the foothills of the Sivaliks where he reached in March 1672 and where his early education included reading and writing of Punjabi, Braj, Sanskrit and Persian. He was barely nine years of age when a sudden turn came in his life as well as in the life of tile community he was destined to lead. Early in 1675, a group Kashmiri Brahmans, drivels to desperation by the religious fanaticism of the Mughals General, Iftikar Khan, visited Anandpur to seek Guru Tegh Bahadur's intercession. As the Guru sat reflecting what to do, young Gobind Rai, arriving there in company with his playmates, asked Why he looked so preoccupied. The father, as records Kuir Singh in his Gurbilas Patshahi 10, replied, "Grave are the burdens the earth bears. She will be redeemed only if a truly worthy person comes forward to lay down his head. Distress will then be expunged and happiness ushered in." "None could be worthier than yourself to make such a sacrifice," remarked Gobind Rai in his innocent manner. Guru Tegh Bahadur soon aftenwards proceeded to the imperial capital, Delhi, and courted death on 11 November 1675.

Guru Gobind Singh was formally installed Guru on the Baisakhi day of 1733 Bk/29 March 1676. In the midst of his engagement with the concerns of the community, he gave attention to the mastery of physical skills and literary accomplishment. He had grown into a comely youth spare, lithe of limb and energetic. He had a natural genius for poetic composition and his early years were assiduously given to this pursuit. The Var Sri Bhagauti Ji Ki, popularly called Chandi di Var. written in 1684, was his first composition and his only major work in the Punjabi language. The poem depicted the legendary contest between the gods and the demons as described in the Markandeya Purana . The choice of a warlike theme for this and a number of his later compositions such as the two Chandi Charitras, mostly in Braj, was made to infuse martial spirit among his followers to prepare them to stand up against injustice and tyranny.

Much of Guru Gobind Singh's creative literary work was done at Paonta he had founded on the banks of the River Yamuna and to which site he had temporarily shifted in April 1685. Poetry as such was, however, not his aim. For him it was a means of revealing the divine principle and concretizing a personal vision of the Supreme Being that had been vouchsafed to him. His Japu and the composition known as Akal Ustati are in this tenor. Through his poetry he preached love and equality and a strictly ethical and moral code of conduct. He preached the worship of the One Supreme Being, deprecating idolatry and superstitious beliefs and observances. The glorification of the sword itself which he eulogized as Bhaguati was to secure fulfilment of God'sjustice. The sword was never meant as a symbol of aggression, and it was never to be used for self-aggrandizement. It was the emblem of manliness and self-respect and was to be used only in self-defence, as a last resort. For Guru Gobind Singh said in a Persian couplet in his Zafarnamah:

When all other means have failed,
It is but lawful to take to the sword.


During his stay at Paonta, Guru Gobind Singh availed himself of his spare time to practise different forms of manly exercises, such as riding, swimming and archery. His increasing influence among the people and the martial exercises of his men excited the jealousy of the neighbouring Rajpat hill rulers who led by Raja Fateh Chand of Garhval collected a host to attack him. But they were worsted in an action at Bhangam, about 10 km northeast of Paonta, on 18 Assu 1745 sk/18 September 1688. Soon there after Guru Gobind Singh left Paonta and returned to Anandpur which he fortified in view of the continuing hostility of the Rajput chiefs as well as of the repressive policy of the imperial government at Delhi. The Guru and his Sikhs were involved in a battle with a Mughal commander, Alif Khan, at Nadaun on the left bank of the Beas, about 30 km southeast of Kangra, on 22 Chet 1747 Bk/20 March 1691. Describing the battle in stirring verse in Bachitra Natak, he said that Alif Khan fled in utter disarray "without being able to give any attention to his camp." Among several other skirmishes that occurred was the Husaim battle (20 Februaly 1696) fought against Husain K an, an imperial general, which resulted in a decisive victory for the Sikhs. Following the appointment in 1694 of the liberal Prince Muazzam (later Emperor Bahadur Shah) as viceroy of northwestern region including Punjab, there was however a brief respite from pressure from the ruling authority.

In 1698, Guru Gobind Singh issued directions to Sikh sangats or communities in different parts not to acknowledge masands, the local ministers, against whom he had heard complaints. Sikhs, he instructed, should come to Anandpur straight without any intermediaries and bring their offerings personally. The Guru thus established direct relationship with his Sikhs and addressed them as his Khalsa, Persian term used for crown-lands as distinguished from feudal chiefs. The institution of the Khalsa was given concrete form on 30 March 1699 when Sikhs had gathered at Anandpur in large numbers for the annual festival of Baisakhi. Gurb Gobind Singh appeared before the assembly dramatically on that day with a naked sword in hand and, to quote Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahz 10, spoke: "Is there present a true Sikh who would offer his head to the Guru as a sacrifice?" The words numbed the audience who looked on in awed silence. The Gurb repeated the call. At the third call Daya Ram, a Sobti Khatri of Lahore, arose and humbly walked behind the Guru to a tent near by. The Gurb returned with his sword dripping blood, and asked for another head. At this Dharam Das, a Jat from Hastinapur, came forward and was taken inside the enclosure. Guru Gobind Singh made three more calls. Muhkam Chand, a washerman from Dvarka, Himmat, a water-carrier from Jagannath puri, and Sahib Chand, a barber from Bidar (Karnataka) responded one after another and advanced to offer their heads. All the five were led back from the tent dressed alike in saffron-coloured raiment topped over with neatly tied turbans similarly dyed, with swords dangling by their sides. Guru Gobind Singh then introduced khande da pahul, i.e. initiation by sweetened water churned with a double-edged broad sword (khanda). Those five Sikhs were the first to be initiated. Guru Gobind Singh called them Panj Piare, the five devoted spirits beloved of the Guru. These five, three of them from the so-called low-castes, a Ksatriya and a Jatt, formed the nucleus of the self-abnegating, martial and casteless fellowship of the Khalsa. All of them surnamed Singh, meaning lion, were required to wear in future the five symbols of the Khalsa, all beginning with the letter K the kes or long hair and beard, kangha, a comb in the kes to keep it tidy as against the recluses who kept it matted in token of their having renounced the world, Kara, a steel bracelet, kachch, short breeches, and kirpan, a sword. They were enjoined to succour the helpless and fight the oppressor, to have faith in one God and to consider all human beings equal, irrespective of caste and creed. Guru Gobind Singh then himself received initiatory rites from five disciples, now invested with authority as Khalsa, and had his name changed from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh. "Hail," as the poet subsequently sang, "Gobind Singh who is himself Master as well as disciple." Further injunctions were laid down for the Sikhs. They must never cut or trim their hair and beards, nor smoke tobacco. A Sikh must not have sexual relationship outside the marital bond, nor eat the flesh of an animal killed slowly in the Muslim way (or in any sacrificial ceremony).

These developments alarmed the casteridden Rajput chiefs of the Sivalik hills. They rallied under the leadership of the Raja of Bilaspur, in whose territory lay Anandpur, to forcibly evict Guru Gobind Singh from his hilly citadel. Their repeated expeditions during 1700-04 however proved abortive . They at last petitioned Emperor Aurangzeb for help. In concert with contingents sent under imperial orders by the governor of Lahore and those of the faujdar of Sirhind, they marched upon Anandpur and laid a siege to the fort in Jeth 1762 sk/May 1705. Over the months, the Guru and his Sikhs firmly withstood their successive assaults despite dire scarcity of food resulting from the prolonged blockade. While the besieged were reduced to desperate straits, the besiegers too were chagrined at the tenacity with which the Sikhs held out. At this stagy the besiegers offered, on solemn oaths of Quran, safe exit to the Sikhs if they quit Anandpur. At last, the town was evacuated during the night of Poh suds 1, 1762 sk/5-6 December 1705. But soon, as the Guru and his Sikhs came out, the hill monarchs and their Mughal allies set upon them in full fury. In the ensuing confusion many Sikhs were killed and all of the Guru's baggage, including most of the precious manuscripts, was lost. The Guru himself was able to make his way to Chamkaur, 40 km southwest of Anandpur, with barely 40 Sikhs and his two elder sons. There the imperial army, following closely on his heels, caught up with him. His two sons, Ajit Singh (b. 1687) and Jujhar Singh (b. 1691) and all but five of the Sikhs fell in the action that took place on 7 December 1705. The five surviving Sikhs bade the Guru to save himself in order to reconsolidate the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh with three of his Sikhs escaped into the wilderness of the Malva, two of his Muslim devotees, Gani Khan and Nabi Khan, helping him at great personal risk.


Guru Gobind Singh's two younger sons, Zorawar Singh (b. 1696) and Fateh Singh (b.1699), and his mother, Mata Gujari, were after the evacuation of Anandpur betrayed by their old servant and escort, Gangu, to the faujdar of Sirhind, who had the young children executed on 13 December 1705. Their grandmother died the same day. Befriended by another Muslim admirer, Ral Kalha of Raikot, Guru Gobind Singh reached Dina in the heart of the Malva. There he enlisted a few hundred warriors of the Brar clan, and also composed his famous letter, Zafarnamah or the Epistle of Victory, in Persian verse, addressed to Emperor Aurangzeb. The letter was a severe indictment of the Emperor and his commanders who had perjured their oath and treacherously attacked him once he was outside the safety of his fortification at Anandpur. It emphatically reiterated the sovereignty of morality in the affairs of State as much as in the conduct of human beings and held the means as important as the end. Two of the Sikhs, Daya Singh and Dharam Singh, were despatched with the Zafarnamah to Ahmadnagar in the South to deliver it to Aurangzeb, then in camp in that town.

From Dina, Guru Gobind Singh continued his westward march until, finding the host close upon his heels, he took position astride the water pool of Khidrana to make a last-ditch stand. The fighting on 29 December 1705 was hard and desperate. In spite of their overwhelming numbers, the Mughal troops failed to capture the Guru and had to retire in defeat. The most valorous part in this battle was played by a group of 40 Sikhs who had deserted the Guru at Anandpur during the long siege, but who, chided by their womenfolk at home, had come back under the leadership of a brave and devoted woman, Mai Bhago, to redeem themselves. They had fallen fighting desperately to check the enemy's advance towards the Guru's position. The Guru blessed the 40 dead as 40 mukte, i.e. the 40 Saved Ones. The site is now marked by a sacred shrine and tank and the town which has grown around them is called Muktsar, the Pool of liberations.

After spending some time in the Lakkhi Jungle country, Guru Gobind Singh arrived at Talvandi Sabo, now called Damdama Sahib, on 20 January 1706. During his stay there of over nine months, a number of Sikhs rejoined him. He prepared a fresh recension of Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, with the celebrated scholar, Bhai Mani Singh, as his amanuensis. From the number of scholars who had rallied round Guru Gobind Singh and from the literary activity initiated, the place came to be known as the Guru's Kashi or seat of learning like Varanasi.

The epistle Zafarnamah sent by Guru Gobind Singh from Dina seems to have touched the heart of Emperor Aurungzeb. He forthwith invited him for a meeting. According to Ahkam-i-Alamgiri, the Emperor had a letter written to the deputy governor of Lahore, Munim Khan, to conciliate the Guru and make the required arrangements for his journey to the Deccan. Guru Gobind Singh had, however, already left for the South on 30 October 1706. He was in the neighbourhood of Baghor, in Rajasthan, when the news arrived of the death of the Emperor at Ahmadnagar on 20 February 1707. The Guru there upon decided to return to the Punjab, via Shahjahanabad (Delhi) . That was the time when the sons of the deceased Emperor were preparing to contest succession. Guru Gobind Singh despatched for the help of the eldest claimant, the liberal Prince Muazzam, a token contingent of Sikhs which took part in the battle of Jajau (8 June 1707), decisively won by the Prince who ascended the throne with the title of Bahadur Shah. The new Emperor invited Guru Gobind Singh for a meeting which took place at Agra on 23 July 1707.

Emperor Bahadur Shah had at this time to move against the Kachhvaha Rajputs of Amber (Jaipur) and then to the Deccan where his youngest brother, Kam Baksh, had raised the standard of revolt. The Guru accompanied him and, as says Tarzkh-i-Bahadur Shahi, he addressed assemblies of people on the way preaching the word of Guru Nanak. The two camps crossed the River Tapti between 11 and 14 June 1708 and the Ban-Ganga on 14 August, arriving at Nanded, on the Godavari, towards the end of August. While Bahadur Shah proceeded further South, Guru Gobind Singh decided to stay awhile at Nanded. Here he met a Bairagi recluse, Madho Das, whom he converted a Sikh administering to him the vows of the Khalsa, renaming him Gurbakhsh Singh (popular name Banda Singh ). Guru Gobind Siligh gave Banda Singh five arrows from his own quiver and an escort, including five of his chosen Sikhs, and directed him to go to the Punjab and carry on the campaign against the tyranny of the provincial overlords.

Nawab Wazir Khan of Sirhind had felt concerned at the Emperor's conciliatory treatment of Guru Gobind Singh. Their marching together to the South made him jealous, and he charged two of his trusted men with murdering the Guru before his increasing friendship with the Emperor resulted in any harm to him. These two pathans Jamshed Khan and Wasil Beg are the names given in the Guru Kian Sakhian pursued the Guru secretly and overtook him at Nanded, where, according to Sri Gur Sobha by Senapati, a contemporary writer, one of them stabbed the Guru in the left side below the heart as he lay one evening in his chamber resting after the Rahrasi prayer. Before he could deal another blow, Guru Gobind Singh struck him down with his sabre, while his fleeing companion fell under the swords of Sikhs who had rushed in on hearing the noise. As the news reached Bahadur Shah's camp, he sent expert surgeons, including an Englishman, Cole by name, to attend on the Guru. The wound was stitched and appeared to have healed quickly but, as the Guru one day applied strength to pull a stiff bow, it broke out again and bled profusely. This weakened the Guru beyond cure and he passed away on Kattak sudi 5, 1765 Bk/7 October 1708. Before the end came, Guru Gobind Singh had asked for the Sacred Volume to be brought forth. To quote Bhatt Vahi Talauda Parganah Jind: "Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Master, son of Guru Teg Bahadur, grandson of Guru Hargobind, great-grandson of Guru Arjan, of the family of Guru Ram Das Surajbansi, Gosal clan, Sodhi Khatri, resident of Anandpur, parganah Kahlur, now at Nanded, in the Godavari country in the Deccan, asked Bhai Daya Singh, on Wednesday, 7 October 1708, to fetch Sri Granth Sahib. In obedience to his orders, Daya Singh brought Sri Granth Sahib. The Guru placed before it five pice and a coconut and bowed his head before it. He said to the sangat, "It is my commandment: Own Sri Granthji in my place. He who so acknowledges it will obtain his reward. The Guru will rescue him. Know this as the truth".

Guru Gobind Singh thus passed on the succession with due ceremony to the Holy Book, the Guru Granth Sahib, ending the line of personal Gurus. "The Guru's spirit," he said, "will henceforth be in the Granth and the Khalsa. Where the Granth is with any five Sikhs representing the Khalsa, there will the Guru be." The Word enshrined in the Holy Book was always revered by the Gurus as well as by their disciples as of Divine origin. The Guru was the revealer of the Word. One day the Word was to take the place of the Guru. The inevitable came to pass when Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib as his successor. It was only through the Word that the Guruship could be made everlasting. The Word as contained in the Guru Granth Sahib was henceforth, and for all time to come to be the Guru for the Sikhs.

Pity the Brahmins

Pity the Brahmins
By P. SAINATH

A signal achievement of the Indian elite in recent years has been to take caste, give it a fresh coat of paint, and repackage it as a struggle for equality.

The agitations in the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and other such institutions were fine examples of this. Casteism is no longer in defensive denial the way it once was. ("Oh, caste? That was 50 years ago, now it barely exists.") Today, it asserts that caste is killing the nation--but its victims are the upper castes. And the villains are the lower orders who crowd them out of the seats and jobs long held by those with merit in their genes.

This allows for a happy situation. You can practise casteism of a visceral kind--and feel noble about it. You are, after all, standing up for equal rights, calling for a caste-free society. Truth and justice are on your side. More importantly, so are the media.

Remember how the AIIMS agitation was covered?

The idea of "reverse discrimination" (read: the upper castes are suffering) is catching on. In a curious report on India, The Wall Street Journal, for instance, buys into this big time. It profiles one such upper caste victim of "reverse discrimination" with sympathy. ("Reversal of Fortunes Isolates India's Brahmins," Dec. 29, 2007.) "In today's India," it says, "high caste privileges are dwindling." The father of the story's protagonist is "more liberal" than his grandfather. After all, "he doesn't expect lower-caste neighbors to take off their sandals in his presence." Gee, that's nice. They can keep their Guccis on.

A lot of this hinges, of course, on what we like to perceive as privilege and what we choose to see as discrimination. Like many others, the WSJ report reduces both to just one thing: quotas in education and jobs. No other form of it exists in this view. But it does in the real world. Dalit students are routinely humiliated and harassed at school. Many drop out because of this. They are seated separately in the classroom and at mid-day meals in countless schools across the country. This does not happen to those of "dwindling privileges."

Students from the upper castes do not get slapped by the teacher for drinking water from the common pitcher. Nor is there much chance of acid being thrown on their faces in the village if they do well in studies. Nor are they segregated in hostels and in the dining rooms of the colleges they go to.

Discrimination dogs Dalit students at every turn, every level. As it does Dalits at workplace.

Yet, as Subodh Varma observes (The Times of India, December 12, 2006), their achievements in the face of such odds are impressive. Between 1961 and 2001, when literacy in the population as a whole doubled, it quadrupled among Dalits. Sure, that must be seen in the context of their starting from a very low base.

But it happened in the face of everyday adversity for millions. Yet, the impact of this feat in terms of their prosperity is very limited.

The WSJ story says "close to half of Brahmin households earn less than $100 (or Rs. 4,000) a month." Fair enough. (The table the story runs itself shows that with Dalits that is over 90 per cent of households.) But the journalist seems unaware, for example, of the report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector, which says that 836 million Indians live on less than Rs.20, or 50 cents, a day. That is, about $15 a month. As many as 88 per cent of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (and many from the Other Backward Classes and Muslims) fall into that group. Of course, there are poor Brahmins and other upper caste people who suffer real poverty. But twisting that to argue "reverse discrimination," as this WSJ story does, won't wash.

More so when the story admits that, on average, "[Brahmins] are better educated and better paid than the rest of Indian people."

Oddly enough, just two days before this piece, the WSJ ran a very good summary of the Khairlanji atrocity a year after it occurred. That story, from a different reporter, rightly suggests that the economic betterment and success of the Bhotmange family had stoked the jealousy of dominant caste neighbors in that Vidharbha village. But it ascribes that success to India's "prolonged economic boom which has improved the lot of millions of the nation's poorest, including Dalits." This raises the question: were other, dominant caste groups not gaining from the "boom?" How come? Were Dalits the only "gainers?"

As Varma points out, 36 per cent of rural and 38 per cent of urban Dalits are below the poverty line. That's against 23 per cent of rural and 27 per cent of urban India as a whole. (Official poverty stats are a fraud, but that's another story.) More than a quarter of Dalits, mostly landless, get work for less than six months a year. If half their households earned even $50 a month, that would be a revolution.

Let us face it, though. Most of the Indian media share the WSJ's "reverse discrimination" views. Take the recent Brahmin super-convention in Pune. Within this explicitly caste-based meeting were further surname-based conclaves that seated people by clan or sub-group. You don't get more caste-focussed than that. None of this, though, was seen as odd by the media. Almost at the same time, there was another high-profile meeting on within the Marathas. That is, the dominant community of Maharashtra. The meeting flatly demanded caste-based quotas for themselves.

Again, not seen as unusual.

But Dalit meetings are always measured in caste, even racist, terms. This, although Dalits are not a caste but include people from hundreds of social groups that have suffered untouchability. The annual gathering in memory of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on December 6 in Mumbai has been written of with fear. The damage and risks the city has to stoically bear when the noisy mass gathers. The disruption of traffic. The threat to law and order. How a possible exodus looms of the gentle elite of Shivaji Park, in fear of the hordes about to disturb their sedate terrain. And of course, there's the sanitation problem (never left unstated for it serves to reinforce the worst of caste prejudice and allows "us" to view "them" as unclean).

But back to the real world. How many upper caste men have had their eyes gouged out for marrying outside their caste? Ask young Chandrakant in Sategaon village of Nanded in Maharashtra why he thinks it happened to him last week. How many higher caste bastis have been torched and razed in land or other disputes? How many upper caste folk lose a limb or even their lives for daring to enter a temple?

How many Brahmins or Thakurs get beaten up, even burnt alive, for drawing water from the village well? How many from those whose "privileges are dwindling" have to walk four kilometres to fetch water? How many upper caste groups are forced to live on the outskirts of the village, locked into an eternal form of indigenous apartheid? Now that's discrimination. But it is a kind that the WSJ reporter does not see, can never fathom.

In 2006, National Crime Records Bureau data tell us, atrocities against Dalits increased across a range of offences. Cases under the Protection of Civil Rights Act shot up by almost 40 per cent. Dalits were also hit by more murders, rapes and kidnapping than in 2005. Arson, robbery and dacoity directed against them --those went up too.

It's good that the molestation or rape of foreign tourists (particularly in Rajasthan) is causing concern and sparking action. Not so good that Dalit and tribal women suffer the same and much worse on a colossal scale without getting a fraction of the importance the tourists do. The same Rajasthan saw an infamous rape case tossed out because in the judge's view, an upper caste man was most unlikely to have raped a lower caste woman.

In the Kumher massacre which claimed 17 Dalit lives in that State, charges could not be framed for seven years. In a case involving a foreign tourist, a court handed down a guilty verdict in 14 days. For Dalits, 14 years would be lucky. Take contemporary Maharashtra, home to India's richest. The attention given to the Mumbai molestation case--where 14 arrested men remained in jail for five days after being granted bail--stands out in sharp contrast to what has happened in Latur or Nanded. In the Latur rape case, the victim was a poor Muslim, in Nanded the young man who was ghoulishly blinded, a Dalit. The Latur case was close to being covered up but for the determination of the victim's community.

The discrimination that pervades Dalit lives follows them after death too. They are denied the use of village graveyards. Dalits burying their dead in any place the upper castes object to could find the bodies of their loved ones torn out of the ground. Every year, more and more instances of all these and other atrocities enter official records. This never happens to the upper castes of "dwindling privileges." The theorists of "reverse discrimination" are really upholders of perverse practice.

source-http://www.counterpunch.org/sainath01182008.html

Gur-ta Gaddi Diwas observed : Josh

Gur-ta Gaddi Diwas observed : Josh

As part of observing the tercentenary 'Gur-ta-Gaddi Diwas' (installation of Guru Granth as 'living guru'), National Commission for Minorities (NCM) member Harcharan Singh Josh honoured the Deputy Mayor of Nanded district Surjit Singh Gill and Nanded Gurdwara Resettlement Board member Rajinder Singh Bitta for their contribution towards the redevelopment of the Gurdwara Sri Hazoor Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra. The Central Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 1,639 crore for the celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi-Diwas and resettlement of Nanded and surrounding of Gurdwara Hazoor Sahib, besides resettlement of the evacuees from the area.

Mr Gill and Mr Bitta were presented Seropas along with Giani Pratap Singh, Head Granthi, Gurdwara Sri Hazoor Sahib.

The celebration was held at the residence of Mr Josh yesterday, where MNC Chairman Mohd Shafi Qureshi and several dignitaries were also present.

Mr Bhaskar Rao, MLA, and Maharashtra Congress vice president and Nirmala Deshpande, MP and social worker, were also honoured on the occasion with Seropas.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Qureshi said the Commission was committed towards the upliftment of the minorities.

The function was followed by Guru Ka Langer (Community Kitchen).

AMBIKA SONI REVIEWS TOURISM AND CULTURE PROJECTS OF PUNJAB

AMBIKA SONI REVIEWS TOURISM AND CULTURE PROJECTS OF PUNJAB

Minister of Tourism & Culture, Smt. Ambika Soni, held a review meeting of tourism and culture projects pertaining to the State of Punjab in Hoshiarpur yesterday. Tourism Minister of Punjab, Shri, Hira Singh Gabria, senior officers of the Union and the State government were present on the occasion. The minister reviewed the projects under the 10th Five Year Plan during which time an amount of Rs 47.74 crore was sanctioned, out of which an amount of Rs 31.50 crore was released. During 2006-07 alone an amount of Rs. 24.52 crores was sanctioned, out of which an amount of Rs. 13.10 crores was released.

In recognition of the potential of tourism in the State, a number of initiatives were undertaken during the tenth plan period such as integrated development of Amritsar, Attari-Wagha, Patiala, Kapurtala and Ropar as tourism destinations. Integrated development of Freedom Circuit and integrated development of destination pilgrim circuit ‘Land of Gurus and Saints’ were other major initiatives during the period. For the development of Hoshiarpur as a tourism destination in the year 2007-08, Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned - for environmental up-gradation of Bajawra fort, development of VV Research Institute and others.

In order to promote Punjab as an international tourism destination, Ministry of Tourism has provided the consultancy through the Asian Development Bank and facilitated preparation of Tourism Master Plan of Punjab through United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The Union Ministry of Tourism is already running Institute of Hotel Management at Gurdaspur. With a view to creating employment opportunities for the youth of Punjab, Hon’ble Minister had cleared one more IHM at Boothgarh and discussed the possibility of setting of a Food Craft Institute for skilled development in the hospitality sector in an area to be identified later in consultation with State Government.

The Minister also reviewed the progress of the project for development of Jallianwalabagh National Memorial which is slated to be completed by 31st March, 2008. She emphasized on the timely completion of the project along with the Sound and Light show. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama project, which had been launched in July, 2006 at the Rambagh Heritage Garden, was also appraised and the Minister expressed satisfaction on the popularity of the Panorama and its good upkeep.

The development of Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo, as a part of the Ter-centenary celebrations of the Guru-ta-Gaddi, at a proposed cost of nearly Rs.180 crores, is also in the last stage of approval by the Union Cabinet. The proposal to name the route from Punjab to Huzur Sahib Nanded as Guru Govind Singh Marg, is also being taken up for approval of the Central Government and is likely to be approved shortly. The Minister will review other matters related to Culture Ministry during her next visit.

The Minister underlined the importance of timely completion of Central projects like National Rural Employment Guarantee Program which are pending implementation with the State Government. As per the guidelines, the implementation of the projects is the responsibility of the State Government.

Festive spirit for 'shobha yatra'

PATNA CITY: Just as the nip in the air, the festive spirit too was unmistakable on Monday.

Besides Makar Sankranti, the day was special in the sense because the annual shobha yatra taken out on the eve of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was scheduled for the day. And right from early morning, thousands of Sikh devotees, who have descended here from all over the country in the course of the last several days, set out for the Badi Sangat Gurdwara at Gaighat, where the morning's diwan was held. Thereafter, around midday as even more and more devotees assembled there the stage was set for this year's shobha yatra, part of the ongoing three-day 341st birth anniversary celebrations of the 10th Guru of the Sikhs. Schoolchildren, women, various jathas and above all the Guru Granth Saheb ki Sawari, led by Punj Pyare, constituted the shobha yatra. Scented flower petals were being sprayed and the road was being cleaned by the devotees for the Guru Granth Saheb ki Sawari all through the yatra. The shabad and jo bole so nihaal only added to the ambience. The shobha yatra terminated at the Takht Shri Harmandirji, Patna Saheb, the birthplace of the Guru later in the evening.

"I have been coming here for the last 15-16 years to pay my obeisance," said Gurjeet Singh, a trader, of Lakhimpur Khiri. Bhupinder Singh, a spare parts dealer of Kolkata, has also been coming here quite regularly. "This year I had a tight schedule, but I still managed to take time to come to the Guru's place," he said. He participated in the several-kilometre-long nagar kirtan barefoot out of sheer shraddha, like many other devotees.

This year's shobha yatra was even more special because a Jagriti Yatra, which began from Hazoor Saheb in Nanded, also formed part of it.The three-day Prakashotsava will conclude on Tuesday night.

Gur-ta Gaddi Diwas observed : Josh

Gur-ta Gaddi Diwas observed : Josh




New Delhi, Jan 14 (UNI) As part of observing the tercentenary 'Gur-ta-Gaddi Diwas' (installation of Guru Granth as 'living guru'), National Commission for Minorities (NCM) member Harcharan Singh Josh honoured the Deputy Mayor of Nanded district Surjit Singh Gill and Nanded Gurdwara Resettlement Board member Rajinder Singh Bitta for their contribution towards the redevelopment of the Gurdwara Sri Hazoor Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra.

The Central Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 1,639 crore for the celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi-Diwas and resettlement of Nanded and surrounding of Gurdwara Hazoor Sahib, besides resettlement of the evacuees from the area.

Mr Gill and Mr Bitta were presented Seropas along with Giani Pratap Singh, Head Granthi, Gurdwara Sri Hazoor Sahib.

The celebration was held at the residence of Mr Josh yesterday, where MNC Chairman Mohd Shafi Qureshi and several dignitaries were also present.

Mr Bhaskar Rao, MLA, and Maharashtra Congress vice president and Nirmala Deshpande, MP and social worker, were also honoured on the occasion with Seropas.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Qureshi said the Commission was committed towards the upliftment of the minorities.

The function was followed by Guru Ka Langer (Community Kitchen).

Ragi Darshan Singh, Pro or Anti Dasam Granth ? Decide for yourself.

Ragi Darshan Singh, Pro or Anti Dasam Granth ? Decide for yourself.
(Op/Ed)
Thursday 10th of January 2008
Gurcharnjit Singh Lamba

As if afflicted by compulsive disorder to spread canard and blasphemy, Spokesman a Chandigarh based news paper ostracized from the Panth by Akal Takht has once again repeated it on the occasion of the parkash utsav of Guru Gobind Singh ji.

In its 4th January issue it has alleged that Prof. Darshan Singh, former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib condemned and ridiculed Bachittar Natak, autobiography of Guru Gobind Singh ji by saying that Bachittar Natak or Sri Guru Dasam Granth is in philosophy and ideology contradictory to Guru Granth Sahib. The paper goes on to put the words in the mouth of Prof. Darshan Singh that as per Bachittar Natak Guru Nanak Dev ji to Guru Gobind Singh are not one joyt.

The above statement is nothing but mischievous. Guru Gobind Singh ji in his biography Bachittar Natak notes very categorically,

Sri Nanak angad kar mana, amar das angad pehchana.

amar das ram das kahayo, sadhan lakha moorh nahi payo. ]9]

bhinn bhinn sabh hu kar jana, ek roop kinhoo pechana.

jin jana tin hi sidh payee, bin samjhe isdh hath na aye. ] 10]

Sri Nanak was accepted as Angad Guru and (Guru) Angad was identified as (Guru) Amar Das. Guru Amar Das was called (Guru) Ram Das and this mystery was understood by the saints but the stupid ones could not follow it. ] 9]

Ordinary persons considered them in different forms but some rare ones understood them as one. Those who knew them as one attained (all) the high spiritual stages but without understanding (the mysteries) nothing can be attained. ] 10].

Prof. Darshan Singh had been the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib and has to his credit hundreds of Shabads sung and articles and writings from Bachittar Natak or Shri Dasam Granth Sahib. It is absolutely inconceivable as how a man of religious stature of Prof. Darshan Singh could ignore all his previous kirtan and writings.

Sri Dasam Granth is installed at Takht Sri Patna Sahib and Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib and Prof. Darshan Singh on numerous occasions did kirtan from Sri Dasam Granth at the stages of these Takhts too.

Because of these Machiavellian machinations of anti-Sikh forces to create dissensions and confusion Akal Takht Sahib had to issue a Hukamnama declaring those speaking against Sri Dasam Granth as mischievous elements.

It is now imperative for Prof. Darshan Singh to clarify his stand on the alleged report of Spokesman which tarnishes his image and also violates the edict of Akal Takht and is nothing but mischievously blasphemous.

Related Links :

Prof. Darshan Singh's own article 'Jagat Tamasha' which is based on Bachitar Natak.

Prof. Darshan Singh reciting verses from Bachitar Natak from Dasam Granth (click play to listen).


source-http://www.panthic.org/news/129/ARTICLE/3808/2008-01-10.html

Patil asks authorities to expedite projects at Nanded

Patil asks authorities to expedite projects at Nanded
MUMBAI: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday asked state authorities to expedite projects in connection with the tercentenary celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi, to be held at Nanded next year.
Nanded city development projects should be completed as per schedule so that the pilgrimage town gets ready to host the landmark religious event, Patil said while addressing a high-level meeting to review progress of work in connection with the Gur-ta-Gaddi celebrations.

The meeting was attended by Bihar Governor R S Gavai, Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, Kerala Governor R L Bhatia, Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil, Union minister for rural development Suryakanta Patil, former Punjab chief minister Rajinderkaur Bhattal and former Governor Buta Singh.

Religion pays: Big money flows into Nanded

Religion pays: Big money flows into Nanded
FOR decades, religion and politics have been two sides of the same coin in India. This is a story about how the coin is being tossed up once again in Maharashtra.
About 400 km from Mumbai lies Nanded, a mid-sized town in the backward region of Marathwada. But it is now suddenly inundated with big money. Home to the second most important shrine of Sikhs after Amritsar’s Golden Temple, Nanded is now gearing up for ‘Gur-Ta-Gaddi’, the tercentenary celebration of the consecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The Centre and the Maharashtra government have sanctioned around Rs 1,500 crore for developmental projects in the Sikh pilgrim town ahead of the event. Over 25 lakh Sikhs from all over the world are expected to attend Gur-Ta-Gaddi at the Takht Sachkhand gurudwara in Nanded in October 2008.
The state government has granted Rs 733 crore and the Centre Rs 774 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for the town. The JNNURM is incidentally Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s pet project that promises help to cities to spruce up infrastructure.
Recently, Union home minister Shivraj Patil, who comes from the region, addressed a highlevel meeting in Mumbai to review the progress of work. Mr Patil directed state authorities to expedite all development projects in Nanded. “Nanded city development projects should be completed as per schedule so that the pilgrimage town is ready to host the landmark religious event,” Mr Patil said.
Government sources told ET that the Planning Commission too has shown interest in sanctioning funds for the city through JNNURM. Though no one is talking about the religious connections, there is a degree of anxiety over pumping so much funds into a city, which is not so underdeveloped. “You don’t need Rs 1,500 crore to widen roads and beautify stations and gardens,” a government official said.
State industry minister and chairman of the tercentenary celebration committee Ashok Chavan, however, defended the government’s move. “The city will see over 25 lakhs devotees coming in. It needs this kind of funds to prepare itself for it and create the infrastructure,” he told ET recently. Mr Chavan, like Union home minister Shivraj Patil and the state chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, comes from the same region.
The committee has also received Rs 8 crore from Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal. Maharashtra police chief PS Pasricha has also contributed in hi own way. A tableaux to spread awareness about the teachings of the Sikh gurus will be launched in Nanded district on November 15, Mr Pasricha said.
The tableaux will be a replica of the Nanded gurudwara and the weapons of Guru Gobind Singh, which are kept in Nanded, will be displayed in the tableaux for ‘darshan’.

Gur-Ta-Gaddi Tercentenary Celebration

Gur-Ta-Gaddi Tercentenary Celebration
The tercentenary celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi is to be celebrated at the Sachkhand Gurudwara, Nanded as a remembrance of the 300th year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the last guru of Sikh by Guru Gobind Singhji. Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib is one of the five Takhats of the Sikhs.
The event will also commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Parlok Gaman of Guru Gobind Singhji. The State Government of Maharashtra is taking great efforts to make this event a major success. It has released a portal to facilitate the devotees.
Please spread a word for this portal and post it further which will help us to reach to more devotees and help them inform about the religious event.

For District Administration, Nanded,
State Government of Maharashtra.

Losing Heritage at Hazur Sahib, Darbar Sahib is Next

PATIALA - Despite desperate pleas and worldwide attention, the demolition of historic structures on the premises of Gurdwara Sach Khand Hazur Sahib is continuing. The Ramgarhia Bunga has been destroyed.

Gurmeet Rai, director of the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative, again demanded the immediate removal of Parvinder Singh as president of the management committee of Hazur Sahib for his failure to protect its heritage.

“How can an officer in service of the state justify making management decisions of Hazur Sahib? He has many compulsions for the state,” Rai said at a Punjabi University seminar. Parvinder Singh is an Indian Police Service officer who is also serving as director general of police of Maharashtra state.

In December, Rai led a team of conservation architects and urban designers to Nanded, in Maharashtra, to evaluate the demolition plans on the Hazur Sahib grounds. They found the plans to be detrimental to historic buildings as well as the gurdwara.

Meetings with the project’s managers were unsuccessful. Parvinder Singh had invited Rai to meet with him personally, but that never took place.

"The threat to historical heritage has started. The gurdwara and state authorities have begun bulldozing monuments in preparation for visitor housing. …The proposed plan lacks adequate sensitivity to heritage buildings," Rai said. The site is slated for construction of large buildings and open spaces, referred to as a Galiyara, around the inner sanctum.

The Ramgarhia Bunga was built during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The building accommodated the masons he sent from Punjab to build the inner sanctum of Hazur Sahib. It can only be seen in photographs now.

Some structures in close proximity to the inner sanctum of Hazur Sahib were already demolished, and a food storage building, called the Modikhana, was being demolished during her December visit, Rai said. Other heritage structures were crumbling from neglect.

The management is holding off on the destruction of parts of the Baradari, where the Guru Granth Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh's weapons were kept during construction, for now, she said.

Rai was speaking at a seminar on Punjab handicrafts organized by Patiala Heritage Society.

She also criticized the construction of a 5.35 km elevated road to Darbar Sahib. The Rs.173 crore project will increase traffic chaos around the complex. And the close proximity of vehicles traveling to Darbar Sahib will disturb its sanctity.

“It will be disastrous.”
http://www.sikhnn.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=539

Authorities plan to bulldoze sacred spaces of Hazur Sahib

The historic town of Nanded, in Maharashtra is an important place of pilgrimage for the Sikh community due to its association with Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, who is known to have meditated on the banks of river Godavari and spent the last few days of his life in the region.

Just yards from these sacred spaces plans are in place to bulldoze a corridor that will destroy the last few historical reminders of the Guru's association with the region. Unique Sikh architecture that was built with devotion and served generations are slated for destruction rather than the sensitive conservation that they deserve.

http://www.punjabheritage.org/architectural-heritage/save-the-sacred-spaces-of-hazur-sahib-from-destruction.html

Sikh monuments bulldozed to make way for building project

Sikh monuments bulldozed to make way for building project
Buildings surrounding the Sikh temple of Sri Hazur Sahib in western India are being demolished to make way for a new road and visitor centre, claims Gurmeet Rai, director of the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative in Delhi. October 2008 marks the 300th anniversary of the guruship of the Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book), and up to three million pilgrims are expected to visit Sri Hazur Sahib in celebration. In preparation, the local government has planned a massive building project, including access roads, temporary accommodation for the pilgrims and a new monument for Guru Gobind Singh.

The current temple was built in 1839 to commemorate the death of Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, but there are earlier buildings on the site, including a shrine built shortly after the death of the guru. Shortly before his death, Guru Gobind Singh compiled a new and authoritative edition of the Granth Sahib, naming it as his successor when he died and thus ending the line of personal Sikh gurus. The Guru Granth Sahib is kept in Sri Hazur Sahib, making it an important place of pilgrimage for Sikhs.

Following a visit to the site in December 2006, Gurmeet Rai claimed that several historic buildings and monuments in the temple precinct are under threat of demolition during the building project. She concluded:

The team urgently recommends that while it is appreciated that the infrastructure needs to be upgraded, the proposed plan must be reviewed by a team of conservationist (cultural and natural) so as to ensure that the important aspects of the cultural landscape are preserved.

Parvinder Singh, chairman of the Nanded city administrative committee, rebutted Rai’s claims, arguing that some of the buildings slated for demolition were not of historic interest. He also said that some of the structures were so fragile that it was impossible to preserve them in the long term. However, Rai continues to criticise the demolition of buildings and monuments on the site, as well as the damage to the landscape which will be caused by the new access road.

http://www.iiconservation.org/wpress/?p=17

Patil asks authorities to expedite projects at Nanded

MUMBAI: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday asked state authorities to expedite projects in connection with the tercentenary celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi, to be held at Nanded next year.

Nanded city development projects should be completed as per schedule so that the pilgrimage town gets ready to host the landmark religious event, Patil said while addressing a high-level meeting to review progress of work in connection with the Gur-ta-Gaddi celebrations.

The meeting was attended by Bihar Governor R S Gavai, Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, Kerala Governor R L Bhatia, Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil, Union minister for rural development Suryakanta Patil, former Punjab chief minister Rajinderkaur Bhattal and former Governor Buta Singh.

Gur-ta-Gaddi to be celebrated at the Takht Sachkhand Gurudwara at Nanded in Marathwada region, is of great relevance to the Sikh community. It commemorates the 300th year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the last guru of Sikh community by Guru Gobind Singh.

Nanded district collector Radhesham Mopalwar informed the meeting that 45 per cent work on Gurudwara has been completed so far, while 60 per cent work on yatri niwas for the visiting pilgrims has also been completed.

Punjab chief minister handed over a cheque of Rs eight crore for the Gurudwara Bhawan at Nanded to his Maharashtra counterpart as part of Punjab government's support for the event.
Nanded city development projects should be completed as per schedule so that the pilgrimage town gets ready to host the landmark religious event, Patil said while addressing a high-level meeting to review progress of work in connection with the Gur-ta-Gaddi celebrations.

The meeting was attended by Bihar Governor R S Gavai, Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, Kerala Governor R L Bhatia, Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil, Union minister for rural development Suryakanta Patil, former Punjab chief minister Rajinderkaur Bhattal and former Governor Buta Singh.

Gur-ta-Gaddi to be celebrated at the Takht Sachkhand Gurudwara at Nanded in Marathwada region, is of great relevance to the Sikh community. It commemorates the 300th year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the last guru of Sikh community by Guru Gobind Singh.

Nanded district collector Radhesham Mopalwar informed the meeting that 45 per cent work on Gurudwara has been completed so far, while 60 per cent work on yatri niwas for the visiting pilgrims has also been completed.

Punjab chief minister handed over a cheque of Rs eight crore for the Gurudwara Bhawan at Nanded to his Maharashtra counterpart as part of Punjab government's support for the event.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Patil_asks_authorities_to_expedite_projects_at_Nanded/articleshow/2461854.cms

Commemoration of Tercentenary of Guru-ta-Gaddi of Shri Guru Granth Sahib

Commemoration of Tercentenary of Guru-ta-Gaddi of Shri Guru Granth Sahib: The tercentenary of Guru-ta-Gaddi of Shri Guru Granth Sahib is to be celebrated at Nanded in 2008. Two Meetings of the national committee headed by the Home Minister, Shri Shivraj V. Patil to oversee the progress of the project have already been held. These include developmental plans of the route of last journey undertaken by Shri Guru Govind Singhji from Talwandi Sabo where got the final version of Shri Guru Granth Sahib complied to Nanded Sahib where the holy Granth was consecrated as eternal Guru. The route passes through five states and covers parts of some national highways. It was also decided to take up the development of the towns of Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo as part of the commemoration.

Handwritten Sikh relics to be displayed in Jagriti Yatra

Kolkata, January 1 In 1708, the sacred scripture of Sikhs Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was empowered with the status of Guru by the last Sikh Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh. The year 2008 marks the 300th year of its completion.
To mark this graceful occasion, the handwritten Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and other relics, along with medieval weapons (sastars) used by Guru Gobind Singh to fight against the oppressors in our country will be displayed in the Jagriti Yatra, to be held in the city on January 3.

The yatra will be completed in three phases distributed over a span of about six months.

The Yatra, which has started from Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra where the weapons and the relics are preserved, will reach Kolkata on January 3. The yatra has already covered Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand. From West Bengal, it is scheduled to reach Bihar on January 13 putting an end to the first phase.

The second phase is slated to begin on January 16 from Bihar. It will then proceed to Amritsar. At a press meet to mark the anointment ceremony of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Sardar Saran Singh, Editor, Sikh Review, said, “Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is our spiritual leader, guide and philosopher.”
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Handwritten-Sikh-relics-to-be-displayed-in-Jagriti-Yatra/256775/