The Tribune – Martial arts display steals the show

Gatka and huge turban
Tribune picture

Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, March 28. A magnificent display of horse riding and martial art skills by thousands of Nihangs marked the last day of the six-day historic Hola Mohalla festival here today.

Over 30 lakh devotees paid obeisance at various gurdwaras during the festival, which started on March 23 at Kiratpur Sahib after which the celebrations shifted to Anandpur Sahib on March 26.

The most significant event of the festival was the procession of Nihang groups belonging to the Budha Dal, Harian Velan, Damdami Taksal and the Tarna Dal. The procession began from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib gurdwara at 2 pm.

Nihangs exhibited their horse riding and martial art skills and sprayed Holi colours on the people all along the way.

The procession halted for a while at gurdwara Kila Anandgarh Sahib at Agampur before it concluded at the Charan Ganga stadium where the Nihangs again displayed their skills. Baba Budha Dal distributed prizes and cash rewards among the winners.

Earlier, the bhog ceremony of “akhand paths” was performed. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh delivered his message to the masses urging them to fight social evils like drug addiction and female foeticide.

A police team, which was formed to check the menace of begging during the festival, nabbed nearly 100 beggars and pick pockets.

Shopkeepers and vendors did a brisk business in the town.

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The Tribune – Hola Mohalla: Devotees swamp Anandpur Sahib

Arun Sharma, Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, March 26. Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country and abroad today thronged the town to participate in a nagar kirtan taken out as part of the Hola Mohalla celebrations.

The nagar kirtan, which started from Agampur by Baba Pritam Singh of Nirmal Mandal, concluded at the dera of Sant Pritam Singh. Nihangs from various sects performed “gatka” during the procession.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said: “We are expecting the arrival of over 30 lakh devotees for taking part in the Hola Mohalla celebrations”. Ropar Deputy Commissioner PK Aggrawal inaugurated an exhibition displaying progress of the state in various fields.

The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sports and Cultural Club, Anandpur Sahib, is organising wrestling and kabaddi tournaments. Club president Kartar Singh said the title of Rustam-e-Zama would be bestowed upon the winner, who would be given a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh. The runner-up would get Rs 1 lakh, he said.

The Anandpur Sahib Sports Club UK is organising the 10th Holla Mohalla Circle Kabaddi Championship. Twenty one teams from various districts are competing in the championship.

Hundreds of individuals and social organisations have set up langars (community kitchens) all over the town and its adjoining areas to serve meals, snacks and beverages to the devotees.

There are nearly 200 langars set up in and around the two towns of Kiratpur Sahib and Anandpur Sahib. Besides regular meals, the community kitchens are offering sweets, milk, juices and other snacks to the devotees.

“We are serving paranthas with curd in breakfast while jalebis, pakoras, milk, tea etc are being served round the clock along with lunch and dinner,” said members of a langar committee from a Moga village who have set up their kitchen near Virasat-e-Khalsa.

The festival, where lakhs of devotees pay obeisance at various gurdwaras in the town, has provided a big market to many. Several local and outside traders have set up their kiosks to cash in on the festival fervour.

Shakeel from Moradabad has come here to sell his musical instruments including drums, tablas and mridangs. Coca Cola has organised a dance competition for youths visiting the fair.

Jathedar Bhan Singh from Khanna has set up a stall to sell traditional arms like swords, hoods, axes etc claiming to be up to 300 years old.

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The Tribune – Hola Mohalla celebrations begin at Anandpur Sahib

Arun Sharma, Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, March 25. The second phase of the six-day Hola Mohalla started here today. The celebrations of the historic festival began on March 23 at Kiratpur Sahib. The “akhand path” will start at Gurdwara Keshgarh Sahib tomorrow.

“Paths” and religious diwans will also be held at other gurdwaras in the town, including Sheesh Ganj Sahib, Bhoura Sahib, Shaheedi Bagh, Guru Ka Bagh, Harian Velan and Gurdarshan Parkash Sahib.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is expecting the arrival of more than 25 lakh devotees in the town for the festival, which will conclude on March 28.

A number of groups of nihangs have started reaching the town to participate in “Mohalla” (religious procession) on March 27, which will be followed by a display of martial arts during the closing ceremony.

Hundreds of social organisations from different villages have set up community kitchens, which will serve a variety of delicacies to the visitors.

Various political parties have also started preparations to organise their conferences.

The Congress, which did not organise any conference last year, will hold one near the Panj Piara park while tents are being erected by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) at the main ground opposite Gurdwara Keshgarh Sahib.

The SAD (Mann) will organise a conference near the sarovar.

As the entry of trucks and buses has been banned in the town till March 28, the district administration today started a free shuttle service for the visitors.

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The Tribune – Hola Mohalla begins today, security beefed up

Tribune News Service

Ropar, March 22. Gearing up to hold six-day festival of Hola Mohalla starting tomorrow, the district administration has decided to deploy 3,100 security personnel at Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib. Over 15 lakh devotees from different parts of the country as well as abroad are expected to attend the festival to be concluded on March 28.

While a close watch will be kept over the place from 14 towers in the area, 14 temporary dispensaries have been set up to provide first aid and emergency treatment to the needy.

Over 20 ambulances will remain stationed at different spots. Even veterinary dispensary will also be available on the occasion, said Ropar Deputy Commissioner PK Aggarwal. For the convenience of devotees, 25 shuttle bus services are introduced in the area, he said.

In order to avoid traffic congestion during the festival, trucks from Ropar heading towards Kiratpur Sahib and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh will be diverted from Ghanauli to proceed towards Nalagarh and Swarghat before reaching the destination.

Similarly, the trucks plying on the Ropar-Anandpur Sahib road will go through Nurpur Bedi via Agampur and Chandesar. The trucks plying between Anandpur Sahib and Nangal will also be diverted to other routes via Chandesar.

These routes will also be followed by buses on March 27.

The most hectic day of the festival will be March 27 when three political parties — Congress, SAD (B) and SAD (M) — will hold political conferences at Anandpur Sahib.

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The Tribune – Liquor ban in Anandpur Sahib on Hola Mohalla

Tribune News Service

Ropar March 18. There will be a ban on the sale of liquor within a 5-km radius of Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib during Hola Mohalla celebrations scheduled from March 23 to 28.

Over 15 lakh devotees from different parts of the country and abroad are expected to take part.

Convening a meeting of officials at Anandpur Sahib, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sucha Singh Mast said all the arrangements for the festival would be completed by March 20. The roads in these towns and adjoining areas would be repaired by March 21, he said.

Mast said as many as 14 dispensaries would be set up in the area while 21 ambulances would remain stationed at different spots.

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The Tribune – Punjabi hospitality floors Canadian PM, wife

Prabhjot Singh, Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, November 7. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper tried to assuage the hurt feelings of the Indian Government by promising not to permit activities of Sikh separatists on the Canadian soil while appeasing the Sikh community by paying obeisance at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib before visiting Virasat-e-Khalsa here today.

“It has been a wonderful experience. I visited the Golden Temple during my last visit,” he said. Harper was accompanied by his wife Laureen and seven Indo-Canadian MPs, including Tim Uppal, the first turbaned federal minister outside India.

Harper today became the first elected head of a state to visit Virasat-e-Khalsa.

He has also become the first Prime Minister to visit two of the five Takhts —Amritsar and Sri Anandpur Sahib — of the Sikhs.

It has become conventional for Canadian premiers to visit the Golden Temple when they visit India. The only exception was Paul Martin, the last Liberal Prime Minister of Canada. He avoided visiting the Golden Temple because the controversial Bill on same sex marriages was before Canadian parliament at that time.

Though Stephen Harper also had neither Amritsar nor Anandpur Sahib on his itinerary, it was the Punjab Government that persuaded the visiting dignitary to visit Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and the much-publicised Virasat-e-Khalsa, a “modern wonder”, during his day-long visit to the city.

Congratulating US President Barack Obama on his re-election, he said the stand of the Canadian Government on preventing activities of Sikh separatists on the Canadian soil was well-known and acceptable to the Indian Government.

“We are committed not to permit any secessionist activities on our soil,” he added.

He did not respond to another question about delay in signing of the free-trade agreement with India. The Punjab Government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee rolled out red carpets for the Canadian premier and his wife. On arrival at the sanctum sanctorum, Punjab Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Food Supplies Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon received them. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal accompanied the Harpers from Chandigarh.

While Stephen Harper was presented a sword of honour besides a “siropa”, Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Tarlochan Singh presented “siropas” to other members of his entourage. Later, Dalmegh Singh, SGPC secretary, presented a copy of the Sikh Encyclopaedia and a painting of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib to the visiting VIPs.

Though the police had converted the Takht Kesgarh Sahib complex into a fortress, movement of pilgrims was also restricted, especially when the Canadian guests were inside the gurdwara. Harpers spent more than 90 minutes there. Harper and his entourage will leave for Bangalore tomorrow morning.

Though a strong business delegation accompanied him, no meetings could be organised between members of the visiting delegation and captains of the Punjab trade and industry. (With inputs from Arun Sharma).

Virasat-e-Khalsa mesmerises Harper

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Takht Keshgarh Sahib, visited the Virasat-e-Khalsa and said it was a wonderful experience. Putting his comment in the visitors’ book, Harper said: “I am happy to be the first Prime Minister of any country to have paid a visit here.”

Business goes for a toss

Harper’s visit proved costly for shopkeepers around Gurdwara Sri Takht Keshgarh Sahib. As tight security was provided to the VVIP guest, the traders were told to keep their business establishments shut since Tuesday.

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The Tribune – Photo exhibition of anti-Sikh riots at Jallianwala Bagh

New Delhi, October 19. Several organisations working for the betterment of the Sikh community in Delhi today said a mobile photo exhibition of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots would be inaugurated at Jallianwala Bagh on November 1. It would reach Sultanpur Lodhi on October 24, Jalandhar on October 25, Ludhiana on October 26, Anandpur Sahib on October 27 and Chandigarh on October 28.

A seminar on “Effective legislation against communal and sectarian violence” would be held on November 4, said senior advocate of the Supreme Court H S Phoolka.

He said the photo exhibition and the seminar were being organised to pressurise the government into punishing the guilty as not one accused in the anti-Sikh riots had been convicted. He said there were only five cases being heard by courts, the rest having been dismissed for want of evidence or witnesses. (TNS)

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500.The man in blue – Anand Sahib pauri 20

My 500th Man in Blue column !

jíhu nirmal báharhu nirmal ||
No-dirt inside and no-dirt outside.
báharhu t nirmal jíhu nirmal satgur te karní kamání ||
Having no-dirt outside and no-dirt inside, through the true Guru, they do good deeds.
kúrr kí soi pahuchai náhí mansá sach samání ||
No falsehood touches them; their desire is to merge in Truth.
janam ratan jiní khattiá bhale se vanjáre ||
Those who earn the jewel of this birth, are noble traders.
kehai nának jin ma(n)n nirmal sadá rehehi gur nále ||20||
Says Nanak, those whose minds have no-dirt, stay with the Guru forever ||20||

For the above translation I consulted the Nitnem Gutka of Harbans Singh Doabia and the ‘Sikhitothemax’ website. I checked the meanings in the ‘Dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib’ by Surinder Singh Kohli.

I have translated ‘nirmal’ throughout as ‘no dirt’, not because I think this is the best translation but because I want to show that ‘mal’ of nirmal and ‘maile’ (dirty) come from the same root.

We see in the second line that having no-dirt inside or outside leads to good deeds. The third line is also logical, persons who are nirmal must live in Truth, and God Truth, with whom they want to merge.

I would like to translate the fourth line as ‘Noble traders will earn the jewel of this birth‘. I think it is more logical to say that through being a noble trader you earn a ‘janam ratan’ than the other way round, but as Guru seems to put it the other way round my understanding must be faulty.

The last line, starting with ‘kehai nának’, is again pretty straightforward.

Those that have met me know that I do not only wear the 5 Ks and the turban but also usually wear a blue Panjabi style outfit. Through my bana I want to tell the world that I am a committed follower of Guru, trying to be Guru’s sant-sipahi (saint-soldier).

I am realistic enough to know that I am not perfect. I am on the way, I do make progress, but there is a long way to go before I can call myself a ‘puran gursikh’.

Everyone who thinks about her/himself as a Sikh, everyone who even wears just a kara (steel bangle) should be on the path to the Guru, the path shown in the Guru Granth Sahib.

It might be only faltering steps that you put on that path, you might repeatedly fall of that very narrow cutting edge of the sword, but Guru will love you for it.

Wearing bana, wearing 5 Ks, doing your nitnem without fail is not enough. If that is all you do you are only clean on the outside. You have to listen to Guru, you have to work on understanding Guru, and then you must apply the teachings in your daily life.

Look like a Sikh, Be a Sikh !

Be clean inside and outside !

The Tribune – Khalsa heritage memorial promises a visual delight

Vandana Shukla, Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, November 23. As it awaits to be inaugurated on Friday, the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex today provided a spectacular and breathtaking preview.

The Boston-based designer of the complex, architect and urban planner Moshe Safdie, who is known for creating the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, has already arrived for the inauguration and so has Bobby Bedi, the filmmaker who has contributed audiovisuals. The first phase of the complex has taken 13 years and approximately Rs 360 crore to complete.

The classy complex, which is expected to draw international attention, has come up in rugged surroundings but water bodies of extraordinary beauty, which reflect the surrounding hillocks, lend the complex an astonishing degree of serenity. Said to be the largest contemporary heritage complex ever conceived in India, it provides a delightful audio-visual experience unlike anything one has seen in Indian museums.

The Boat Building of the complex houses the largest hand-painted mural in the world, which uses a staggering 24,000 metres of fibre optics to illuminate it to depict Diwali.

The complex deals with the evolution of the Sikh religion, from the birth of Guru Nanak to the establishment of the Granth Sahib as the last Guru. Only 15 out of the 25 galleries planned, however, will be thrown open to the public. The 15 galleries cover 650,000 square feet.

The Boat Building, named because of its shape, provides an awesome panaromic vision of daily life in Punjab. With the help of sound, music and other visual manipulations, the entire cycle of a year is recreated within a span of just eight minutes. The vibrant colours then give way to a subdued, star studded night with a tower of light at the centre, which symbolises the emergence of ‘Ek Onkar’, illuminated, pure and eternal. From here begins the journey of the evolution of the Panth with the birth of Guru Nanak Dev.

For the remaining galleries, visitors can opt for audio commentary in Punjabi, Hindi or English, rendered by Divya Dutta, Surjeet Pattar and Kabeer Bedi respectively. The first five galleries depict the spiritual aspects of the Panth by making use of research material, stories and technology.

Amar Behl has made use of Phulkari, miniature art, puppets from Andhra Pradesh, durris from Mirzapur and embroideries and applique work from Chamba while Bobby Bedi has created the animation films on the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, the siege of Anandpur Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib.

In the ‘Five Crescent Building’, the tone and tenor of the colours and sound becomes more militant and depict the struggle and sacrifices made by the last five Gurus to establish the Panth. The second phase of the complex, for which work is still going on, is expected to show the growth of Khalsa over the last 300 years, culminating in the partition of the country.

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The Tribune – Prime Minister to open Khalsa Heritage Centre

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 7. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to inaugurate the Khalsa Heritage Centre at Anandpur Sahib and lay the foundation stone of the new international airport terminal building at Chandigarh named after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

Badal called on the PM here today. He invited him to inaugurate the prestigious project in the first fortnight of November.The Chief Minster also urged Manmohan Singh to lay the foundation stone of Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport.

The new terminal building, located in the revenue district of Mohali, is jointly funded by Punjab, Haryana and the Centre. After some initial glitches, it was finally agreed by all the parties concerned that the building be named after the martyr. A spokesperson for the Punjab Government said that the Prime Minister had accepted the Chief Minister’s request and the PM’s office and the state government would work together to finalise the dates for the two events.

Badal thanked the Prime Minister for giving the nod to the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) in Ludhiana under the auspices of the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre.

He especially thanked Manmohan Singh for his role in ensuring that the SGPC elections were held in September. Badal requested the Prime Minister for expeditious clearance of the Rs 750 crore HUDCO loan. He also took up the issue of revision of norms regarding payment of relief to affected farmers under the State Disaster Relief Fund.

He said the existing norms were inadequate and a mere Rs 1,600 per acre could be paid to the farmer in case of cent per cent crop loss. This, he said, should be enhanced to Rs 10,000 per acre.

The CM also called on Defence Minister AK Antony and asked him to sanction two new NCC battalions in the state, one for boys in Ropar and another for girls in Malout (Muktsar). Antony reportedly appreciated the efforts of the Chief Minister in establishing Maharaja Ranjit Singh Preparatory Institute for military training at Mohali.

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