Azaad

no it isn't

Jagjit Singh, head of the Namdhari sect passed away today after a prolong illness. He was 92.

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader had hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs by changing a word in Gurbani at Gurdwara Ratwara Sahib near Chandigarh, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Delhi sikh gurdwara Management committee (DSGMC), Paramjit Singh Sarna, has alleged. At a press conference here today, he said that Ramoowalia, while addressing a religious congregation at the gurdwara, had used the word “daku” instead of “saajan”. This, he said, was blasphemous. Sarna said that recently managers of the Ramgarhia Gurdwara at Hari Nagar in Delhi had organised a “jagran”. This was against Sikh traditions. Sarna appealed to the Akal Takht to summon the Akali leaders who had permitted the holding of a"jagran" at the gurdwara. He said that “except for religious ceremonies, no other activity could be allowed on the premises of a gurdwara.” He appealed to the Akal Takht Jathedar to immediately issue a hukamnama (edict) against Akali leader Ramoowalia for his act of sacrilege. He also pleaded that he be punished as per the Sikh maryada.

its Amrik Singh Kooner from the famous "Sofa factory" who is behind this new channel. He is supported by Dr Sadhu Singh from Wolverhampton who used to be a presenter for the Sikh Channel

The Lok Sabha today saw the introduction of an important private members' legislation seeking to amend the Constitution of India to accord the status of full-fledged religion to Sikhism. Shiromani Akali Dal member from Khadoor Sahib Ratan Singh Ajnala introduced the Bill this evening. The legislation reflects a long-pending demand of the Sikh community, which has been seeking amendment to Article 25 of the Constitution that grants freedom to citizens to profess religion. Though the Article guarantees this right to all, a particular clause in it says that a reference to Hindus would be construed as including a reference to Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists and likewise a reference to Hindu places of worship would be construed to include places of worship of Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The Bill is seeking omission of this clause, which literally implies that the three aforementioned religions are either part of the Hindu religion or associated with it. "The clause creates avoidable confusion on the independent identity of these three religions," states the Bill titled 'The Constitution Amendment Bill 2012'. It draws strength from the recommendation of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, which was set up during the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime. The Commission had asked for deletion of the said clause in Article 25, adding that it be rephrased to acknowledge the independent identity of the three religions. Ajnala argues, "Sikh Dharma was established as a separate religion with its own code of conduct by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. During the British rule in India, Sikhs were given separate seats." The Sikhs have also been recognised as a separate minority (alongside Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis) under the National Minority Commission Act. Earlier, Ajnala had written to former Law Minister Salman Khurshid asking him to pilot the amendment. A private members' Bill, not being a Government Bill, is not part of the government's legislative agenda and the government is free not to heed to it. In the past, however, the government departed from norm by accepting a private members' Bill seeking an amendment of the Anand Karaj Act 1909 to allow registration of Sikh marriages.

After detecting mass graves at Hond Chillar in Rewari district of Haryana and Riyasi in Jammu and Kashmir, Sikh bodies claim to have discovered three more such sites. The All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and Sikhs for Justice have claimed that 90 Sikhs were allegedly killed at Bokaro in Jharkhand and Allahabad and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh during the 1984 riots. AISSF president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad has alleged that the local Congress leaders of these cities were responsible for the massacres and that no legal action had been taken against them so far. The AISSF also released a list of 90 Sikhs allegedly killed in the riots. Peer Mohammad lashed out at respective Jharkhand (formerly Bihar) and Uttar Pradesh governments for “not ensuring the prosecution of all those guilty even after 28 years of the incidents”. “All the evidences and witnesses are available against the identified leaders of the mob that led the massacres but the respective governments have not taken any action against them,” he said. He claimed that in the first week of November 1984, a mob had allegedly burnt several Sikhs alive at Gurdwara Singh Sabha situated in the heart of Bokaro city.

Brahmins who organised a yatra to express their gratitude towards the Ninth Sikh Guru had to go without langar at Rakabganj Sahib gurdwara on November 23. Hurt and humiliated, they have written a letter to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, seeking his intervention. Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Devi Dyal Prashar, president of the Shree Brahmin Sabha, which had organised the “Rin Uttar Yatra”, said the sangat comprising 6,000 elderly men, women and children were not allowed to enter Bhai Lakhi Shah Hall even though they had permission of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief PS Sarna to stay there for the night. The sangat had to go without langar. Prashar alleged that despite the sabha having booked the hall for November 23 night (vide letter no. SBSP/2012-13/2025), the sangat was not allowed inside when it reached the gurdwara at 10. 30 pm. “When I, along with senior functionaries of the sabha, went inside, a group led by Charanjit Singh threatened us that we would be thrashed by members of the gurdwara task force. It was only on the intervention of some Sikh devotees that the staff allowed us to spend the night in the langar hall,” said Prashar. “It is probably for the first time that a Sikh shrine has turned away devotees seeking shelter and food,” he regretted. He said the sabha had written to the Akalt Takt chief to ensure such an incident did not recur.

Taking the bilateral cooperation against terrorism forward, New Delhi will seek extradition of three Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) extremists from US involved in two bomb blasts at Jalandhar inter-state roadways bus stand in 2006. Top government sources said India is going to seek extradition of California-based Balwinder Singh Possi, Gurnam Singh alias Neka and Gursharan Singh Cheema for bomb blast in Punjab Roadways bus in Jalandhar on April 24, 2006 in which three persons lost their lives and triggering off another bomb blast at the city inter-state bus stand on April 28, 2006. Neka is also allegedly involved in smuggling of explosives from Pakistan with the help of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) chief Ranjit Singh Neeta. While Possi is an original resident of Garh Shanker village in Hoshairpur district, Neka and Cheema belong to Jalandhar district. Possi has been living in the US for more than a decade and involved in financing terror and motivating Sikh youth against India, Neka and Cheema moved to America after 2006. All three are in the 30-40 age group. Although US conveyed its willingness to extradite the terror trio, the Punjab Police has been asked by the ministry of external affairs to move the papers in relevant court in California. Already the Punjab state government has been informed at the highest levels to push the Jalandhar Range police on case papers and extradition. The extradition of the three pro-Khalistan terrorist was taken up by top home ministry officials with their American counterparts on the sidelines of India-US strategic dialogue last June with Washington assuring New Delhi that it would help extradite all those living in US and involved in terror acts against India.

theres no time limit on an Akhand Paath. the whole 48 hours is a tradition which started in the last few decades.

Jalandhar was his second home Memories of former Prime Minister IK Gujral will remain deeply rooted in the minds of the people of Punjab in general and the residents of Jalandhar in particular. The Gujrals not only lived in the city after the Partition but contributed a lot towards its development in more than one ways. Gujral was born on December 4, 1919, in Jhelum (now Pakistan) and served as the 12th Prime Minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. In the tumultuous days of the Partition, Gujral and his family migrated from Pakistan and settled in Jalandhar where his mother Pushpa Gujral had set up ‘Nari Niketan’ offering succour to the partition-devastated girls and pregnant women. Pushpa Gujral was a councillor in Municipal Committee. The Gujral family arrived in Jalandhar in 1947. It was at the Jalandhar railway station that Pushpa Gujral gave birth to her son, now Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral. IK Gujral moved to Delhi after about a year and rose to become the Prime Minister of India. Known for his famed ‘Gujral Doctrine’. Gujral was elected twice as an MP from Jalandhar — 1n 1989 and 1999 on the Janata Dal ticket. Both the times, he was supported by SAD and the BJP. Gujral is known for his valuable services towards the people of Punjab. Gujral’s biggest gift to Jalandhar was setting of Doordarshan Kendra when he was a Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. The station, however, got operational two-three years later. He was also behind the setting up of Science City near Jalandhar.

Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned the arrest of the members of the Sikh jatha that was on its way to pay obeisance at the site of the demolished Gurdwara Gyan Godhri near Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, here today, that every person had the right to observe his religious rights. The arrest of the Sikh youths who were peacefully proceeding towards the historic shrine was highly condemnable. Makkar said that the people as well as the state government had not denied that Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, had visited the place at Har-ki-Pauri where a gurdwara was established around 450 years ago. He said that their main demand was that the shrine be rebuilt keeping in view the sentiments of the Sikhs living there. The SGPC chief said that he would soon seek an appointment with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to resolve the issue. He said he would also involve the local community leaders including local MLA Harbhajan Singh Cheema in the talks so that the shrine could be rebuilt as early as possible.

Badal recalls Gujral’s swift loan waiver Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the state had lost one of its greatest and most illustrious sons and the country one of its most brilliant and tallest leaders in the post- Independence era in the death of former Prime Minister IK Gujral. Describing the former PM as a visionary statesman, the Chief Minister said Gujral would long be remembered as an outstanding champion of international peace and understanding. Badal, who air-dashed to Delhi to pay his condolences to the family, said Gujral was among the greatest champions of peace and friendly relations between India and Pakistan. Badal said that the people of Punjab will never forget the daring and decisive role played by Gujral in helping his state get rid of the crippling special term loan of Rs 8,500 crore which the state had incurred in fighting the nation's battle during the days of militancy. “The memory of the moments in which IK Gujral as Prime Minister waived the entire loan with just a mild but firm stroke of his pen is still etched deep in my mind. We took 21 most-difficult issues of the state to Gujral and he took just 11 minutes to solve all those and to issue clear orders then and there. This was one of the happiest moments in my public and personal life and a great moment for Punjab,” said Badal. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in a condolence message said Gujral was the first Punjabi Prime Minister and would be dearly remembered by the people of Punjab for waiving the loan during his term and sanctioning Pushpa Gujral Science City for the state. Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh said the former Prime Minister would be remembered for the Gujral Doctrine which was aimed at strengthening relations with neighbouring countries. “The country will miss a great visionary,” he said in the message.

Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, who headed a Congress-supported coalition government in 1997-98, died at a hospital in Gurgaon this afternoon following a brief illness. He was 92. Gujral was hospitalised on November 19 after a lung infection. He had been put on ventilator as his condition had deteriorated. He had been on dialysis for a year. Gujral is survived by his sons, Naresh, an Akali Dal MP in Rajya Sabha, and Vishal, two grand-daughters and a grandson. His brother is noted artist Satish Gujral and he has three sisters. His wife Shiela had died last year. Gujral’s body was taken from hospital to his official residence, 5 Janpath, where it will be kept for the public to pay their respects till noon. The Government has declared a seven-day state mourning throughout India and cancelled all functions till December 6. He will be given a state funeral near Smriti Sthal in New Delhi at 3 pm. The ceremony will be conducted by the Ministry of Defence. Central Government offices in Delhi and Delhi Government offices will close at 1.30 pm to enable employees to attend the funeral of the late former PM. Gujral was born to Avtar Narain and Pushpa Gujral at Jhelum in undivided Punjab on December 4, 1919. He belonged to a family of freedom fighters and participated in the freedom struggle. Educated at DAV College, Hailey College of Commerce and Forman Christian College, Lahore (Pakistan), Gujral was sworn in as the 12th Prime Minister of India on April 21, 1997. Known for his Left-leaning yet liberal ways, Gujral was very close to Indira Gandhi at one point of time. He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in April 1964 and was part of the “powerful coterie” around Indira that helped her become Prime Minister in 1966 following Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death. He became the Information and Broadcasting Minister in 1975 during the time of permit-quota raj when the I&B Minister could virtually control the supply of newsprint. Television, other than Doordarshan, was non-existent. Gujral was tasked to manage the much-criticised job of press censorship during Emergency. Before becoming PM, Gujral was External Affairs and Water Resources Minister. He also served as India’s Ambassador to the USSR. He was a Rajya Sabha member twice between 1964 and 1976 and a member of the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 1991. With Lalu Prasad’s help, he became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1992 after his election from Patna Lok Sabha constituency was countermanded. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 from Jalandhar as an Independent with Akali Dal’s help. The equation between the Gujral family and Akalis changed forever. PS Badal was so happy at the militancy-period loan waiver given by Gujral as PM that it blossomed into a personal friendship.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has lauded India as a "super-power" in the field of information technology as he unveiled the country's first indigenously created low-cost Aakash 2 tablet here. The tablet was showcased at the UN headquarters yesterday on the occasion of the India's current Presidency of the UN Security Council. CEO of Datawind, maker of the Aakash tablet, Suneet Singh Tuli, presented the device to the UN chief who voiced appreciation for the tablet for being "small and handy." "India is a critical player on security issues, but you are also a leader on development and technology. Indeed, India is a super-power on the information superhighway. There is a reason places like Hyderabad are called 'Cyberabad'," Ban said in his remarks. The UN chief said he is aware that 'Aakash' means 'sky' in Hindi and called on nations to work with the UN to help young people "reach for the sky and meet their dreams." He said technology is not an end in itself but is the key to empower people to make the most of their own potential.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today condemned the Uttarakhand Government for preventing a Sikh jatha from entering Gurdwara Gyan Goddari at Haridwar and arresting its members at the state border yesterday. He also lashed out at the Congress for its “old habit” of interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs. “On the one hand, the Congress government in Delhi is doing injustice to the Sikhs by not conducting the Delhi Gurdwara Sikh Management Committee elections, on the other the Congress government in Uttarakhand has hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs by arresting devotees,” said Badal, who is on a two-day “sangat darshan” tour of his Lambi Assembly constituency. He further said the religious sentiments of all sects must be respected, as the Constitution advocated adopting a secular approach. On the threats made by Pakistan fundamentalists after Ajmal Kasab’s execution, Badal said the state government had made necessary security arrangements and there was no threat to peace in the state.

Jaswant Singh (second from left) being felicitated by the SGPC in Amritsar; and (right) Jaswant at work. Tribune photos Seventy-six-year-old Jaswant Singh Khosa from Malaysia starts his day as early as 4 am and for the next 12 to 13 hours he writes copies of Guru Granth Sahib in Gurmukhi. It is the outcome of his faith and passion that he has already prepared five handwritten copies of the holy book in the last over two decades. He presented one copy to the Akal Takht on Monday. Talking to The Tribune, Khosa said the copy of Guru Granth Sahib which he handed over to the Akal Takht had pages having a length of 26 inches and width of 19 inches. "The holy book weighs 50 kg while it has a total of 1,430 pages, the same as a printed copy has. It has also made it to the Malaysia Book of Records as the heaviest handwritten religious book. It is a meticulous work to write in Gurmukhi script in exactly the same way as appears in the printed copy. One has to ensure that words are linked together and each of the 19 lines on every page are perfectly aligned. Moreover, it needs a lot of attention, as a single misspelled word will mean sacrilege," he said. Khosa said he had used a special white paper and ink named Kohinoor which was procured from the US. He said the handwritten copy could last up to 300 years and even water could not affect it. He said he had already started working on his sixth handwritten copy of Guru Granth Sahib. He said his first handwritten copy had been installed at a gurdwara in Southall, London, while the second one was at Har-ki-Pauri at the Golden Temple. Similarly, his third "bir" had been installed at a gurdwara at Edmonton and the fourth one at a California shrine. On what inspired him to take up this work, Khosa said it was his visit to Amritsar post-1984 as a part of a five-member Sikh panel from Malaysia to take stock of the damage caused to the Golden Temple during the Operation Bluestar. "We visited the Sikh Reference Library and were distraught to see the damage it had suffered. Our treasure trove of rare books laid burnt and destroyed," he said. Whether he faces any health problem while performing this painstaking task, Khosa said he was perfectly fine, though he wore glasses while writing the holy book. He said he wrote the first four copies while sitting on the ground in a conventional manner. However, the fifth copy was penned on a table as he had some problem in his knees.

Taking a serious note of the instance in which Satkar Committee members stopped a publisher’s consignment alleging sacrilege, the Sikh clergy has issued guidelines to private publishers for sending religious books to other places. Following a meeting at the Akal Takht Secretariat here, the Sikh high priests issued directions to the publishers to ensure that whenever they prepared a consignment, each packet should not weigh more than 20-25 kg. The literature should be first wrapped in paper and cloth before being put into a box made of wood or plastic. Subsequently, these books should be transported in a properly covered vehicle so as to protect them from dust or rain. The publishers have also been told to put up stickers having written ‘Handle with respect’ on each of the packets. The Sikh clergy has warned of strict action against anyone violating the directions. In another significant decision, the Sikh high priests have directed that Guru Granth Sahib should not be installed at houses that had ‘bars’. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said such individuals should hand over the ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib to the nearest gurdwara. He said such people can keep ‘Gutkas’ in their homes instead of installing the holy book.

A third man of Indian origin was today charged with attacking ‘Operation Bluestar’ hero KS Brar here, the British police said, a day after announcing the arrest of two more people, including a woman, in connection with the assault on the retired General. 36-year-old Dilbag Singh, who was charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Brar, appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The police said Singh has no permanent address. Two other suspects — 33-year-old Barjinder Singh Sangha of Wolverhamption and 34-year-old Mandeep Singh Sandhu of Great Barr, Birmingham — were slapped with the same charge last month. They were remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on December 7 for a Plea and Case Management Hearing, police said. Sangha has also been charged with common assault of Brar's wife Meena. The police yesterday announced two more arrests in the case, saying a 36-year-old man was held in west London on Wednesday while a 55-year-old woman was also taken into custody. The woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been granted bail on condition of having to return on a future date pending further inquiries.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that the state government would soon erect a monument in the memory of martyrs Bhai Mati Dass, Bhai Sati Dass and Bhai Dyal Dass, who were executed by the Mughals at Chandni Chowk in Delhi along with Guru Teg Bahadur. The concept and design of the monument would be finalised in consultation with Sikh scholars, intellectuals and religious personalities, he said. Addressing a religious congregation comprising a large number of Brahmins at Gurdwara Sri Bhora Sahib here organised as part of a ‘Rin Utaar Yatan Yatra’ (a journey aimed at repaying the debt of Sikh Gurus), Badal said it was a historic day when the Brahmin community had visited Sri Anandpur Sahib. From here, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib launched his journey to save the Hindu community from the tyranny and oppression unleashed by the then Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1675. In 1675, Pandit Kirpa Ram Dutt had called on Guru Teg Bahadur along with a delegation of 500 Brahmins from Kashmir, urging him to protect them and their religion from the oppression of the Mughals. Badal said the journey should be made an annual feature to ensure participation of more people. On the occasion, the Chief Minister honoured five members of the Brahmin Sabha, including its president, with the portrait of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur and a siropa.

Sikhs living in Assam want Punjabi language taught in the state, Guru Nanak Chair at the Gauhati University and a cultural centre of their own in Guwahati city. These demands were placed before Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi through Dr Ajaib Singh, member, National Commission for Minorities. Dr Ajaib Singh, who was on a two-day visit to Assam, said Chief Minister Gogoi had assured him of initiating steps for Guru Nanak Chair at the Gauhati University as well as for providing land to Sikhs for a cultural centre. “The Chief Minister was very responsive to the demands raised by the Northeast Sikh Foundation,” Dr Ajaib Singh said, adding that the Assam State Minority Commission should have a Sikh member. He pointed out to the Assam Chief Minister that there would be no financial constraints to appointing Punjabi language teachers in Assam schools as the cost would be borne by the Central Government under the PM’s 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities. Dr Ajaib Singh said that according to an agreement signed by the Assam Government and the Punjab Government a few years back, Guru Nanak Chair was to be established at the Gauhati University and a Chair after the name of Assam’s religious and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva at the Paunjab University, Chandigarh. While the Panjab University had done the needful, the Gauhati University had not. Meanwhile, all gurdwaras in Assam have asked for subsidised LPG cylinders to prepare langar.

To check the recurrence of violence in Delhi gurdwaras, noted lawyer HS Phoolka has formed a peace committee comprising representatives of the SAD (Delhi) as well as the SAD (Badal). In a press note, Phoolka said there were intelligence reports on the likelihood of violent clashes during the Nagar Kirtan on November 24 and 27 and also during Guru Teg Bahadur’s martyrdom day on November 25 and Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary on November 28. Besides Phoolka, those on the committee are former PGI Director Dr JS Neki, noted writer Ajeet Caur, former CBI director Joginder Singh, IGNOU's Prof Amarjit Singh Narang, Bhajan Singh Walia and Tarsem Singh from the Sarna group and Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Harmeet Singh Kalkaji from the SAD (Badal). Phoolka said a candlelight vigil would be held at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib on Friday. A day after the clash at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib on November 16, the Delhi police had registered FIRs against eight persons, including PS Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), and Manjit Singh GK, president of the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal).

A local court today convicted the former president of the Sikh Students Federation, Daljit Singh Bittu and his close associate Gursharan Singh Gamma for the country's biggest bank robbery of Rs 5.70 crore that took place in 1987. All of them were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. The case ended after 25 years. As many as 196 witnesses were cross-examined by the CBI. Of the looted money, Rs 60 lakh were recovered within days of the crime. The others convicted in the case are: Harjinder Singh of Lalton village in Ludhiana, Balwinder Singh of Tahl village in Jalandhar, Mohan Singh of Katran Kala village of Jalandhar, Saroop Singh of Basrampur village in Jalandhar, Gurjant Singh of Kothe Sher Jang Road, Jagraon, Ludhiana, Avtar Singh of Kurali, Jalandhar, Harbhajan Singh of Sarin Village in Jalandhar, Sewa Singh of Chakran Raju Singh village in Hoshiarpur, Assa Singh of Badala Mahi in Hoshiarpur and Maan Singh of Bhajan Nagar, Ludhiana. The TADA Court's Special Judge, Sunil Arora, pronouncing the judgment, said: "It has been clearly establised that the dacoity in the bank was committed with the intention to either overawe the government or to strike terror in a section of the people." Bittu and Gamma's identity had been "clearly established by the prosecution" the judge said. On February 12, 1987, Bittu and his accomplices entered the Millarganj branch of the Punjab National Bank in Ludhiana at around 9.45 am. They were in police uniform. They left with the bank money without firing a shot and injuring none. They took away old currency notes, not touching the new ones valued at Rs 10 crore, the then chief manager of the bank, SN Malhotra, had said in his complaint to the police. He had said the robbers, claiming to belong to the Khalistan Commando Force, overpowered the guard and threatened the bank employees and customers who were made to sit on the floor. During investigations, Malhotra had identified both Bittu and Gamma.

If assurances by Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to Dubai-based businessman Surinderpal Singh Oberoi at a meeting in Katmandu yesterday are any indication, the historic Gurdwara Nanak Math will soon become operational in a new building. Guru Nanak Math, on the banks of the Vishnu Mati river, is a part of the 200-acres of land donated by the King of Nepal, Jaya Prakash Malla, to Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism, during his month-long stay in Kathmandu in 1516. Though most of the land, registered in the name of Guru Nanak Dev, has been developed for commercial and residential purposes, a piece of five acres still remains in possession of the gurdwara run by a mahant. The immediate need is to post a granthi (priest) there and restore Rehat Maryada. "There are three volumes of Guru Granth Sahib at Gurdwara Guru Nanak Math. One of is handwritten and has 1,565 aangs (pages). It is in good shape," claims Oberoi. Accompanied by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad, Oberoi told Dr Baburam Bhattarai, an alumnus of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, about the historic Guru Nanak Math. He carried with him the relevant documents, including the original land transfer and registration deed with signatures of crown prince Jaya Jagat Malla as witness. Oberoi told the Nepalese Prime Minister of plans for a new gurdwara building, a langar hall and a 100-room serai that would be run by a committee with a nominee from the Nepalese Government besides representatives of the Sikh community from Nepal and outside. The Nepalese Prime Minister reportedly assured Oberoi and Jayant Prasad that the Nepalese Government would do whatever required to stop the auction/allotment of land that belonged to the Sikh shrine. The Nepalese Government had given a public notice for auctioning the Sikh shrine land last month before Oberoi and Pritam Singh, president of the Gurdwara Management Committee of Nepal, moved the Supreme Court in Kathmandu and got an interim injunction. The n ext date of hearing is December 8. There are three gurdwaras in Nepal, all in Kathmandu and run by mahants, mostly from Varanasi or Punjab. But the Sikh Rehat Maryada is not being followed in any of the Sikh shrines. For Oberoi, the discovery of the shrine during his visit to Nepal, to oversee the formation of Nepalese Gatka Federation, was accidental. "At one of the gurdwaras is a well with hymns in Gurmukhi inscribed on its walls. We have started work on cleaning the well and restoring this historic monument to its original shape," said Oberoi, who is also managing trustee of the Sarbat Da Bhala Trust that has been working for the release of several Indian youths languishing in various UAE jails. Guru Nanak Dev is believed to have visited Kathmandu in 1516 AD. The gurdwara was earlier known as Charbaksh Sthan, Sangat Bari and Sankha Bari and Guru. Oberoi took up the matter the Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur who evinced a keen interest in the restoration of the gurdwara. She spoke with the Indian Ambassador. About the shrine... Guru Nanak Math is on the banks of the Vishnu Mati river It is a part of the 200-acres of land donated by the King of Nepal, Jaya Prakash Malla, to Guru Nanak during his visit to Kathmandu in 1516 Most of the land, registered in the name of Guru Nanak Dev, has been developed for commercial and residential purposes But a piece of land measuring five acres remains in possession of the gurdwara run by a mahant

Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh seems to have started preparing for the Lok Sabha elections. Along with a team of top Congress leaders, including Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Sunil Jakhar, former ministers Santokh Chaudhary, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh and Amarjit Singh Samra, Member of Parliament Ravneet Bittu and Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) president Vikramjit Jit Singh, he visited the Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan today. Amarinder and his team spent at least 30 minutes with the followers of sansthan head Ashutosh Maharaj and attended his pravachan (sermons). Amarinder garlanded the dera head as a mark of respect. The visit was arranged by PYC president Vikramjit Jit. This was Amarinder's second visit to the dera. He had earlier visiteded the dera during the Adampur byelection. To a query, he claimed that the visit had nothing to do with the coming parliamentary elections. To another question, he said: "We respect all the deras." Talking to mediapersons at a temporary helipad here, Amarinder accused the Parkash Singh Badal-led Akali government for "unleashing terror on Congress workers" to coerce them into joining the Shiromani Akali Dal, threatening them with action under the land ceiling Act or registering false cases against them. Amarinder alleged that Punjab had become bankrupt and the Badal government was imposing new taxes, including property tax, on persons with two-marla houses. "There is a need for declaring financial emergency in the state," he said, adding that people had begun to realise that they had committed a mistake in re-electing the Akalis.

Giani Jaswinder Singh has been demoted from his sewa of Head Granthi of Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib