SGPC wants to talk, end all dispute

The Sikh religious body wants the Akal Takht to initiate dialogues with the other Takhts, especially Takht Hazur Sahib (Nanded) and Takht Patna Sahib (Bihar) for ending the friction, the main issue being the Nanakshahi Calendar. The “peace talks”, as per SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, will be held in Mumbai and a date will be set soon.

The two Takhts, which are outside Punjab, have not recognised the Nanakshahi Calendar and are celebrating various gurpurbs and other important events in Sikh history on separate dates as per the Bikrami Calendar.

“I have spoken to Hazur Sahib Jathedar Kulwant Singh and other office-bearers of the organising committee. Talks should be initiated and if the other Takhts want separate dates from us for various events, it should be decided once and for all,” SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar told The Indian Express.

Regarding the “ill-treatment” meted out to the SGPC delegation in Nanded, he said it was an unsavoury situation. He said some local members of Hazur Sahib Guruta Diwas Celebrations Committee tried to break decorum on stage during an event, leading to verbal spats and scuffles. He said following the incident, he thought it fit to walk away from the function on Friday.

Though a large contingent of the SGPC left the celebrations midway, Makkar prefers to downplay the entire issue. “We did not want any disturbance as situations like these only bring disgrace to the whole community. If there are issues, they can be sorted out by dialogue and discussion,” said Makkar, adding that Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, who had also returned from Nanded, had taken up the matter with the Hazur Sahib Committee. “We want no clash between the Takhts. The three Takhts in Punjab have already accepted and implemented the Nanakshahi Calendar and if the two other Takhts are not ready to adopt the Sikh calendar, they could decide their own programmes separately,” said Makkar.

Makkar also denied having received any threats. “It is just that the opposing group of the Takht Hazur Sahib management committee, comprising Laddoo Singh Mahajan and deputy mayor S.S. Gill, is at war with P.S. Pasricha, chairman of the Hazur Sahib Committee. When we were given the stage on October 30, all our functions went off very well. It was just at the end of the programme that Laddoo Singh voiced his discontent. He vented his ire on us when in reality he was opposing Pasricha,”

Makkar added.

The SGPC chief clarified, “We were at Hazur Sahib on the invitation of the Giani Kulwant Singh, the Jathedar of Takht Hazur Sahib, and all due respect was accorded to us. Even after this mild showdown, Laddoo Singh called me up and requested for a meeting to resolve the issue regarding the Nanakshahi Calendar. The bottomline is that we need to resolve all matters and the Khalsa Panth needs to stand on a common platform and work for the betterment of the religion.”

Will not broach worship practices at Hazur Sahib, says Makkar

LUDHIANA: Interestingly, the SGPC is not ready to touch the “real issues” regarding the worship practices followed at Hazur Sahib and will stick only on resolving the controversies regarding the Nanakshai Calendar.

The SGPC and the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib standoff is legendary considering the fact that the practices adopted at Hazur Sahib are not accepted by the SGPC. While the Sikh intelligentsia prefers to call this standoff nothing more than attempts to capture supremacy, this rivalry stems from the fact that the Hazur Sahib has legitimised the controversial Dasam Granth, which the SGPC does not allow. Moreover, each year the Hazur Sahib Committee sacrifices a lamb and washes the artillery belonging to Guru Gobind Singh with its blood. Commenting on this, Makkar says, “At present we will only be talking about the opposing views on the Nanakshahi Calender. These are the practices that Hazur Sahib follows along with local traditions and we will not broach this issue now.”