Gurbani telecast from Golden Temple: SGPC asks PTC to continue, Mann says ‘dirty move’ to appease Badals

The Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib is currently telecast exclusively by PTC, a private channel associated with the family of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The SGPC’s agreement with GNext Media, which manages PTC channel, will expire on July 23.

A few days ago, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami had said that they will will launch a YouTube channel for the broadcast of Gurbani from July 24. Dhami had also announced that the SGPC will launch its own satellite channel and will be applying for its license.

On Friday, the SGPC appealed to the management of the GNext Media to continue Gurbani broadcast from Harmandir Sahib until the Sikh body’s own satellite channel is established. It said it was making the request “in view of the sentiments of the Sikh community and the order given by Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib”.

The SGPC said they are going ahead with the arrangement as it would not be possible to broadcast Gurbani in every household through YouTube as Internet facility is not available everywhere.

Mann, however, questioned the move, asking why the SGPC was requesting only one private channel to continue broadcasting the Gurbani. “Why not others? Will they give the right of Gurbani (broadcast) to one family again for an indefinite period of time through the channel? There is a limit to greed,” he asked in a tweet

In a statement issued in the evening, Mann asked the SGPC to explain why it was eager to hand over the telecast rights of Gurbani to only one channel. “Instead of ensuring free to air telecast, the SGPC is trying to find a way for again giving rights to same channel just to appease a powerful family. It is strange that again the SGPC is on a dirty move to favour the blue-eyed channel of the Badals,” he said.

The Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party dispensation in Punjab and the SGPC have been at loggerheads over the live broadcast of Gurbani from the Harmandir Sahib. While the SGPC asserts that it should retain the broadcast rights of the religious hymns, Mann wants its free telecast on all TV channels. For this, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, in a special session last month, had passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The SGPC had vehemently opposed the amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.

The CM had a few days ago urged Governor Banwarilal Purohit to sign the Bill. The Governor, however, said he will take action on the Bill after the legality of the session held last month was first examined.

On Friday, Mann said the message of the Gurbani should be spread across the globe for cementing the ethos of universal brotherhood, communal harmony and peace, advocating free of cost and free to air its telecast for all channels for maximum reach. “This is the need of the hour to disseminate the ‘Sarb Sanji Gurbani’ across the globe with an aim to spread the universal message of ‘Sarbat da Bhala’ (welfare of all),” he added.

He reiterated that the state government was ready to bear all the expenses for installing hi-tech equipment for the telecast of Gurbani live from Golden Temple on all the channels.

Meanwhile, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said the agreement with the PTC channel is expiring on July 23. “The SGPC will start sewa (service) of Gurbani broadcast on its YouTube/web channel from July 24, but on demand of the Sangat (Sikh community) from across the world, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib has ordered the SGPC to continue broadcasting service through the channel until it establishes its own,” Grewal said in a statement, adding that PTC has been asked to continue Gurbani broadcast service, he said.

Grewal said the SGPC is making efforts to establish its own satellite channel for which they have written to the Centre and will soon meet Union minister of Information and Broadcasting so that the process can be initiated.

He said the SGPC will start the Gurbani broadcast from Amrit Vela (pious time in the early morning) on July 24 through its YouTube/web channel, regarding which the bhog (concluding ceremony) of Sri Akhand Path Sahib (uninterrupted recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) will be held on July 23.

WITH ENS Amritsar