Azaad

Guru Nanak Dev ji Maharaj

Guru Gobind Singh ji Maharaj in Macchiwara jungle

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj

Jhoolde Nishan Rahe Panth Maharaj Ke

Well of Baba Deep Singh ji

Maharaj...

Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji

Darbar Sahib Entrance

Harmandir Sahib

Guru Nanak Dev ji with Bebe Nanaki ji and Sangat

Panj Pyare on Horseback

Sri Harmandir Sahib

Guru Arjan Dev ji Maharaj

Darbar Sahib...

Khanda in a Cloud

Naa koi Hindu Naa koi Musalmaan

Maharaj on their udaasi

Nanakana Sahib Saka

The police has stepped up vigil in the town two days ahead of the radical Sikh leaders' protest march against police's "inaction" in a case involving engineering student Jaspal Singh's death in police firing.

Violence rocked the city in March in the aftermath of Balwant Singh Rajoana's conviction in the ex-CM Beant Singh's murder. Curfew was imposed in the town to restore order in the city.

Many Sikh outfits have announced that they will assemble at the busy Kahnuwan Chowk in the heart of the town, which remained a hotbed of militancy late in the eighties, on May 28. The presence of former Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, chief of the Damdami Taksal Harnam Singh Dhuma and SGPC member Baldev Singh Sirsa in the city in the recent past set alarm bells ringing in the police circles.

Senior Superintendent of Police RS Brar said an elaborate two-tier security cover has been put in place and the town has been sealed. The police is also keeping a close watch on known radical groups and is trying to ensure that hardliners stayed away from May 28 rally.

Over two dozen strategic points have been identified for round-the-clock surveillance. The SSP is monitoring the situation. Senior Police officers and SAD MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali are working in tandem to ensure that peace prevails in the town.

The radicals have demanded that all the 16 members of the Hindu Shiv Sena against whom a case was registered be arrested. However, a local court yesterday granted bail to all the accused.

Two inquiries are being held into the death of the student -- one by a Special Investigating Team under DIG (Border range) Ram Singh and the other by the Commissioner (Jalandhar Division).

A Police officer salutes to Maharaj during Birmingham's Nagar Kirtan

People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) president Manpreet Singh Badal, who was in town today to announce the candidature of Dr Satbir Singh Bhaura from Model Town, said his party aimed to garner 15 per cent to 20 per cent votes in the state’s civic elections.

“Dr Bhaura is one of the youngest candidates. He is a doctor with an MBA degree. Punjab needs such bright and young persons,” he said. Dr Bhaura is the grandson of former Akal Takht Jathedar Balbir Singh Bhaura.

On the petrol prices in the state, he said: “It is ironical that while petrol prices worldwide are witnessing a plunge, these are zooming in India. The VAT on petrol is the highest in Punjab. This is on account of the failure of the government to develop any other tax sources. The fuel price needs to be rationalised by slashing the VAT,” the PPP chief, a former state Finance Minister, said.

He said the PPP would contest 30 of the 60 seats in Jalandhar in alliance with the BSP that would contest 12-15 seats, the CPI 13-15 seats and the CPM 12. He said seat-sharing between the Sanjha Morcha and the BSP had been reached following an “ understanding at the local workers’ level”.

Referring to the denial of a common symbol to the Morcha, Manpreet said: “We will approach the higher authorities.” On withdrawal of security to several VIPs, he said if he was the Deputy CM, he would have set an example by giving up all 300 security guards.

The PPP chief was accompanied by his party leaders Rajinder Singh Johal and Rajinder Singh Sandal.

The Rajya Sabha today unanimously passed an amendment to the Anand Karaj Marriage Act 1909, paving the way for separate registration of Sikh marriages.

This meets the 63-year-old demand of the community that so far gets its marriages registered under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955. The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2012 is expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and once it clears the final hurdle — it should keeping in mind the consensus — it will become a law. The amendment to the marriage laws was introduced on May 7.

Shiromani Akali Dal members Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhunder praised the Prime Minister for this move and demanded the amendment of Article 25 of the Constitution, which hinders Sikhs from having a distinct identity. At present, Sikhs are clubbed with Hindus under the Constitution and the amendment in Article 25 has been one of the major demands of the community.

Speaking for the Congress, MS Gill lavished praise on the PM while Avinash Rai Khanna welcomed the move. Avtar Singh Karimpuri (BSP), Naresh Aggarwal (SP) and Kanwardeep Singh (TMC) welcomed the move and supported it on behalf of their parties. Dhindsa, Bhunder, and Karimpuri spoke in Punjabi.

Naresh Gujral of the SAD suggested that Law Minister Salman Khurshid issue instructions that Sikh couples who had earlier registered their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act be allowed to register under the new law.

Once it becomes a law, it will help millions of Non Resident Indians. As of now, marriages registration certificates of NRIs term them as Hindus while their passports define them as Sikhs, resulting in confusion and rejection in visas.

The new Act does not have a provision for divorce as the Sikh clergy could not arrive at a consensus on the issue. The opinion among Sikhs is that the divorce clause could be added later, if the need be.

Parsis, Christians and Muslims already have separate laws for the registration of marriages under their own customs. The Sikh wedding is distinctive from a Hindu wedding and is called an ‘Anand Karaj’. The number of circumambulations (pheras) in Sikh weddings is lesser than those in Hindu weddings. The Sikh priest reads out from the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikh couples that get their marriages registered under the Anand Karaj Marriage Act “shall not be required to get their marriages registered under the registration of Births, marriages and Deaths Act, 1969 or any other law for the time being in force (including state Acts)”.

The Anand Marriage Act was promulgated during British times, but was not adopted at the time of framing of the Constitution of Independent India.

Twenty eight years after the Army stormed into the Golden Temple Complex and 10 years after the SGPC first passed a resolution supporting it, the foundation stone of Operation Bluestar Memorial was today finally laid by Sikh high priests in the presence of SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh.

Thousands of activists of various Sikh organisations as well as devotees converged in the Golden Temple Complex for the launch of "kar sewa" of the memorial in the morning. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the memorial had been a long pending demand of the Sikhs and the Sikh leadership was well aware of the community's sentiments.

Reacting to various organisations' resentment against handing over "kar sewa" to the Damdami Taksal, he said it was always easy to point fingers but difficult to accomplish a task. He said various Sikh organisations and personalities engaged in "kar sewa" were supporting Baba Harnam Singh in his effort. He appealed to the Sikh Sangat to donate generously for the construction of the memorial.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh also justified the SGPC move to give "kar sewa" to Baba Harnam Singh. He cautioned the community to donate funds for the memorial only to Baba Harnam Singh and to no one else. "We have neither set up any 'golak' nor authorised anyone to collect funds for the purpose," he said.

Later, Makkar and Sikh high priests presented a 'siropa' to Baba Harnam Singh. The Sikh clergy, Makkar and Baba Harnam Singh laid the foundation stone of the memorial around 10 am. The funds for the memorial started flowing in even before the foundation stone was laid. A list of donors was read out at the ceremony. Kamaldeep Kaur, whose brother Balwant Singh Rajoana is on death row in the Beant Singh assassination case, also donated Rs 1 lakh.

• The two places that were projected as the memorial site over the last few days will actually be integrated to form one complete structure
  
• These two locations are the left wing of the building adjacent to Miri Piri and the basement right next to Gurdwara Thara Sahib
  
• The SGPC's official architect for the project, Inderbir Singh Walia, says the memorial will house a gurdwara that will be constructed atop the basement adjacent to Gurdwara Thara Sahib
  
• The left wing of the building close to Miri Piri will only serve as an entrance to the gurdwara (memorial)
  
• The area of the gurdwara, with a dome atop it, will be 31x31 feet whereas its height will be 19 feet
  
• Marble with "meenakari" will be used both inside and outside the memorial building
  

February 20, 2002: The SGPC passes a resolution to build Operation Bluestar Memorial

May 27, 2005: A special SGPC executive meeting, held at Anandpur Sahib, unanimously resolves to build the memorial

June 6, 2011: The SGPC constitutes a five-member committee to prepare the blueprint of the memorial

May 3, 2012: SGPC gives its final consent to the memorial, hands over "kar sewa" to Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa

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Check out the attached document about Sikh Articles of Faith guidance document which was commissioned by the British Government

In accordance with the Motor-Cycle Crash Helmets (Religious Exemption) Act 1976 passed by the British Parliament in 1976, Section 2A "exempts any follower of the Sikh religion while he is wearing a turban" from having to wear a crash helmet.

Three Congress MPs from Punjab today called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him that Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur be linked with Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara at Narowal in Pakistan. The shrine in Pakistan is located less than 2 km from the border. Sikhs have been seeking a ‘corridor’ to connect the shrine with India.

Partap Singh Bajwa, Gurdaspur MP, made a written request to the PM in this regard. He was accompanied by Manish Tewari, Ludhiana MP, and Ravneet Singh Bittu, MP from Anandpur Sahib.

Bajwa said the Indian and Pakistani Governments had reached an agreement to build a ‘corridor’ in 1998 to enable Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan without a visa/passport. But there had been no progress on the issue so far.

Bajwa told the Prime Minister that post-Partition, when land on which the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala stands went to Pakistan, India swapped 12 villages near Suleman-ke head works in Fazilka for getting back the land. “We can propose to Pakistan that if it is hands over to India the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara area, we will give Pakistan an equivalent portion of land across the Ravi,” Bajwa suggested.

“A link with the shrine will be an apt confidence-building measure between India and Pakistan”, observed Tewari.

Reviewing the preparations for the foundation stone laying ceremony of Operation Bluestar Memorial scheduled for May 20, Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh today confirmed that the memorial will be in the form of a gurdwara near Miri Piri inside the Golden Temple Complex.

Talking to mediapersons after the beginning of an 'Akhand Path' to mark the occasion, Baba Harnam Singh revealed that some designs had also been prepared for the gurdwara, but it was yet to be finalised. On the issue of "gallery of martyrs", he said they would work as per suggestions received from the SGPC.

On the demand of having the memorial that was "more than a gurdwara", he said the memorial will be raised in view of the sentiments of the Sikh Sangat as well as the spiritual character of the Golden Temple Complex. He said the memorial would be built within a year. The Taksal chief said Maharaja Sher Singh Deodhi, which is opposite to the memorial site, will also be preserved, as it still bore the bullet marks dating back to Operation Bluestar in June 1984. He said they would rope in experts to preserve this structure. He also took the opportunity to clarify that the memorial will not be that of only Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, but also of scores of innocent Sikh pilgrims who were killed in the Army operation. He dubbed the controversy regarding the blueprint of the memorial as baseless saying the memorial would be built in consonance with Sikh sentiments, traditions, 'maryada' and the holy shrine's splendour.

He urged the outfits behind the controversy not to resort to such moves due to their mutual differences and political interests. "Such acts will only strengthen "anti-Panth" forces, which have been opposing the Operation Bluestar Memorial till now," he said.

Regarding the foundation stone laying ceremony, Baba Harnam Singh said the five Sikh high priests would launch the "kar sewa" of the memorial in the presence of eminent Sikh personalities and members of Sant Samaj at 10 am on Sunday. He said all Panthic organisations, Taksals, sects and Akhand Kirtani jathas had been invited for the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the SGPC's move to hand over the "kar sewa" of the memorial to Damdami Taksal doesn't seem to have gone down well with some political and religious groups. SAD (Amritsar), SAD (1920) and the rival faction of the Taksal have resented the step. SAD (1920) leader Raghubir Singh Rajansansi today demanded that the blueprint of the memorial should be made public and the community's views should be sought before finalising it.

Even as the countdown to the start of Operation Bluestar Memorial's "kar sewa" on May 20 has begun, it has come to light that the memorial will be in the form of a gurdwara for which the left wing of the building located right next to Miri Piri at the Golden Temple Complex has been allocated.

The Damdami Taksal, whom the SGPC has assigned the task of raising the memorial, and other Panthic groups had been demanding a site near the Miri Piri, contending that it would be a "befitting location" as the then chief of the Taksal, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, "attained martyrdom" near the Miri Piri.

Earlier, there were reports of the SGPC allotting a site near Gurdwara Thara Sahib for the memorial. Sources, however, said the two sites (the one near Gurdwara Thara Sahib and the other near the Miri Piri) could be interlinked at a later stage in case of an expansion plan as they share a common wall.

The site near the Miri Piri has three floors with two rooms each. At present, The Guru Granth Sahib has been installed in its ground floor. The sources revealed that a gurdwara would be set up on the first floor of the building, while the ground floor would be utilised to acquaint the visitors with Operation Bluestar. The second floor may be used to showcase gold plates of the shrine, "bir" that bears a bullet mark and other such items to commemorate the Army operation. The gurdwara is likely to be named "Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Sahib".

However, the exact nitty-gritty of the memorial will come to the fore after some time as right now Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh is in the process of developing the idea. He has been consulting Panthic personalities and experts to finalise the shape and design of the memorial for the past few days. He, however, has expressed his intent to preserve Maharaja Sher Singh Deodhi, located opposite the Miri Piri, as it bears bullet marks of Operation Bluestar.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar confirmed that the memorial would come up in the left wing of the building near the Miri Piri. He said there would be a gurdwara while they would finalise the exact details of the memorial over the next two-three days. He also said the site might be interlinked with the under-construction structure near Gurdwara Thara Sahib in future.

Sikh Channel really haven't launched in the USA then...it was available to them on the internet before and its the same now...its not available on their TV nor do they have a separate studio for it...

While there were reports of “missing record” from the Akal Takht Secretariat in the past, a recently released book, “Edicts of Sri Akal Takht Sahib” by Sikh History Research Board director Roop Singh, has become a reference document. It incorporates 151 edicts (hukamnamas) issued from the Akal Takht over the past 125 years. The oldest edict in the book dates back to March 18, 1887, and the latest one to be included is the one issued on July 22, 2011. This is the first book to deal exclusively with the edicts. The book has some of the rare edicts, including the one directing the Sikhs to be armed for the protection of the country after Independence.

The edict issued in November, 1948 reads: “After breaking the shackles of slavery, our country has attained Independence. The Sikhs made supreme sacrifices for its sake. They have to take the country to new heights.”

The edict issued on Diwali (in 1948) by the then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Mohan Singh Nagoke directed the Sikh masses to pray for getting the “Hindu sisters” liberated from the newly-created Pakistan. The maximum edicts issued from Akal Takht were after Operation Bluestar (June, 1984). The Akal Takht issued 14 edicts from July 5, 1984, to October 25, 1984, condemning the siege of Golden Temple and Akal Takht by the Indian Army. Giani Kirpal Singh was the Akal Takht Jathedar at that time. The book also has Akal Takht edicts, declaring former President Giani Zail Singh and former Union Home Minister Buta Singh “tankhaiya” and ostracising them from Khalsa Panth, besides the one awarding “tankhah” (punishment for religious misconduct) to former Punjab CM Surjit Singh Barnala.

While most edicts (a total of 30) were issued after the Army operation in 1984 by the then Jathedar Giani Kirpal Singh, Bhai Ranjit Singh had issued as many as 18 edicts in his short tenure of 14 months.

The issue of missing records from the Akal Takht came to the fore in April 2003 when the newly formed secretariat of the Takht had requested both Sikhs and non-Sikhs to submit records related to the office of the Akal Takht so that the new secretariat is complete in all respects. There were reports that a few jathedars, who had been removed or had retired, had taken home important office records, including correspondence and copies edicts.

Taking note of protests from certain quarters, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar today said the SGPC will review its decision to install the portrait of Baba Santa Singh, former chief of Budha Dal, at the Central Sikh Museum.

Talking to mediapersons here, Makkar said the SGPC was aware of the objections being raised against installation of Santa Singh’s portrait and it had decided to review the move. He said they had also decided to constitute a sub-committee which would take a call in future regarding installation of portraits in the museum. Various Sikh outfits like Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Panthic Council had protested against the SGPC move.

Baba Santa Singh courted controversy when at the instance of the then Indira Gandhi government, he undertook “kar sewa” of the Akal Takht building in 1984 after the top temporal seat suffered extensive damage during the Army operation. Subsequently, he was “excommunicated” from the Sikh Panth by Jathedar Kirpal Singh in July 1984. His “excommunication” was revoked by Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti in 2001 only after he admitted his “sin” and accepted the punishment for violating the “Sikh maryada”. He died on May 8, 2008.

Makkar also revealed that the SGPC would soon renovate the Central Sikh Museum.