SGPC executive approves amendment in Nanakshahi calendar amidst chaos

Soul_jyot · #1 (**permalink**) 04-Jan-2010, 04:02 AM

source: http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22302/38/

SGPC executive approves
amendment in Nanakshahi calendar
amidst chaos

JAGMOHAN SINGH
Sunday, 03 January 2010
SAD(Badal) bows to dictats of Sant Samaj AMRITSAR: Amidst chaos Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) Executive Committee which met here Sunday at Teja Singh Samundri Hall gave approval to bring amendments in Nanak Shahi Calendar (a separate calendar Sikh of Sikh community). Three executive members of SGPC out of fifteen Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Karnail Singh Panjoli and Bibi Ravinder Kaur from Haryana boycotted the meeting as they were not in favour to bring any kind of amendment in the Nanak Shahi Calendar. Sant Samaj was building pressure on SAD(Badal) to make changes in the calendar to their convinience. However, last week, the Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat), had sent its proposals to SGPC to discuss the necessary steps to make amendments in the calendar. SGPC chief Avtar Singh said that as per the amendments, now in future all the religious occasion like birth and death anniversaries of Sikh Gurus (masters) would be as per the existing calendars which was being followed by the Sikh community before the formation of Nanak Shahi Calendar. Now Nanak Shahi Calendar along with amendments to be sent to Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh for the final implementation. Sources at Akal Takht said that now Jatehdar was empowered to issue final edict for Sikh community to follow the Nanak Shahi Calendar with new amendments. Now there was no need to call the meeting of Sikh clergy, since clergy who met last week at secteritate of Akal Takht were already gave their formal approval and then sent to executive committee of SGPC for necessary steps. This step of SGPC has virtually raised eyebrows of Sikh Diaspora, expressed anguish over the working of the SGPC regarding amendments made in the Nanak Shahi calendar without taking the community into confidence. Immediate after the announcements made by Makkar, Several Sikh organisations Dal Khalsa, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat, Shiromani Akali dal (Panch Pardani), Sikh Students Federation, Sikh Youth of Punjab, Akal Federation and Shiromani Panthic Council urged Jatehdar Akal Takht not to give final nod to changes brought in the calendar. The leaders of these bodies said tampering of the calendar was unacceptable and intolerable and asked the Akal Takht not to go against wishes and aspirations of the community. The leaders included Paramjit Singh Sarna, Manjit Singh Calcutta, Satnam Singh, Kanwarpal Singh, Harpal Singh Cheema, Parmjit Singh Gazi, Rajinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh Mann. Leaders of various Sikh organisations said that while rejecting the today’s SGPC decision said that the entire Sikh Diaspora would remain stick with the original Nanak Shahi Calendar which was adopted by the General House meeting of SGPC in March 29, 2003. They further said that on January 12 they would stage stir outside the residence of Makkar at Ludhiana. Earlier, Pal Singh Purewal, a Canada based Sikh intellectual who crafted the 'Nanakshahi, calendar had requested Akal Takht Jathedar to consult him before making any change in it but in vain. Purewal said that it was highly objectionable as any change in the calendar would reduce it to carbon copy of 'Bikrami Calendar'. He said that Nanakshahi calender was based on religious, historical and scientific research of many years.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/hard-talk/28761-sgpc-executive-approves-amendment-nanakshahi-calendar.html