Politicians make way for Khalsa Heritage Complex on govt calendar

The first thing that grabs your attention when you walk into any government office in Punjab are pictures of political personalities immortalised in official calendars pasted prominently on walls.

The first thing that grabs your attention when you walk into any government office in Punjab are pictures of political personalities immortalised in official calendars pasted prominently on walls. Political parties seeking mileage out of government calendars over 1 lakh copies are printed with pictures of ruling politicians every year has been an accepted practice. This year,however,presents a stark contrast.

Punjab governments official single-page calendar for 2010 does not have a single photograph of a ruling politician,not even of Chief Minster Parkash Singh Badal or his Deputy CM-son Sukhbir Badal. The 2010 calendar has the photo of an impressive under-construction building of the Khalsa Heritage Complex (KHC) in Anandpur Sahib.

Two years ago,the sarkari calendar had 16 photographs of politicians on it. Of these,Sukhbir was there in seven.

A senior official said it was a conscious decision to do away with politicians photos on the calendar this time,to shift the focus from personalities to projects.

The KHC building,designed by an Israel-based architect,which has been under construction for over a decade now,will be dedicated to the nation this April on Baisakhi,officials said.

However,the calendar has invited a different reaction from certain quarters. Its being alleged that the calendar has been designed with an eye on the ensuing elections of the SGPC,besides to project the image of the ruling party as the sole custodian of the panthic agenda.

A picture of the Golden Temple too had invited similar reaction some years ago. A senior official,however,said a religious tinge to the calendar goes down well with the public at large.

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