In Gurudwaras, no diyas were lit this year

EVERY YEAR during Diwali, nearly 20-odd city gurudwaras are lit up with diyas and candles, and devotees are seen sharing sweets and burning crackers. However, this year, all the gurudwaras donned a dark look with the Sikh community protesting against the incident in Punjab, wherein pages of the holy book Guru Granth Sahib were found torn and scattered outside a gurudwara in a village.

Jasvir Singh, a city-based professor, who is also a member of the UK-based organisation named Basics of Sikhi, said that the protests were driven by an unfortunate incident that occurred in Punjab in mid-October wherein several pages of the holy book of the Sikhs – Guru Granth Sabhib – were found torn and scattered outside a gurudwara in a village. “When a group of people gathered to protest against the incident, the policed fired at them, killing two protestors and leaving many injured. Hence, it was decided that we will observe ‘Kaali Diwali’ this year,” he said, adding that Diwali coincides with Bandi Chhor Divas (Day of Liberation), a festival celebrated by the Sikhs that marks the release of their Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind from prison in Gwalior along with 52 kings.

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Raj Singh, another Puneite from the Sikh community, said that the message of observation of ‘Kaali Diwali’ was spread through Facebook, Whatsapp and announcements at weekly gatherings of the Sikh community before the festival.

Just like every year, though the devotees thronged the gurudwaras during the evening of Diwali, they didn’t distribute sweets, light diyas/candles or burst fireworks. At Hollywood Gurudwara in Camp, men wore black turbans and the women wore black dupattas as a mark of protest. “Other rituals like kirtan, langar and prayers were carried out as usual. It’s not just Sikhs who come to gurudwaras but even those who have faith in the Guru visit it; they too joined the protest,” said Rupal Khalsa, who belongs to the Sikh community.

Sukhwinder Singh, who performs kirtan (spiritual songs) at various gurudwaras across the city, said, “The culprits who were involved in desecration of the holy book have neither been caught nor has the government come up with an explanation yet.”