The Tribune – Nepal PM promises to help restore historic gurdwara

Prabhjot Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18. If assurances by Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to Dubai-based businessman Surinderpal Singh Oberoi at a meeting in Katmandu yesterday are any indication, the historic Gurdwara Nanak Math will soon become operational in a new building.

Guru Nanak Math, on the banks of the Vishnu Mati river, is a part of the 200-acres of land donated by the King of Nepal, Jaya Prakash Malla, to Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism, during his month-long stay in Kathmandu in 1516.

Though most of the land, registered in the name of Guru Nanak Dev, has been developed for commercial and residential purposes, a piece of five acres still remains in possession of the gurdwara run by a mahant. The immediate need is to post a granthi (priest) there and restore Rehat Maryada.

“There are three volumes of Guru Granth Sahib at Gurdwara Guru Nanak Math. One of is handwritten and has 1,565 aangs (pages). It is in good shape,” claims Oberoi.

Accompanied by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad, Oberoi told Dr Baburam Bhattarai, an alumnus of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, about the historic Guru Nanak Math. He carried with him the relevant documents, including the original land transfer and registration deed with signatures of crown prince Jaya Jagat Malla as witness.

Oberoi told the Nepalese Prime Minister of plans for a new gurdwara building, a langar hall and a 100-room serai that would be run by a committee with a nominee from the Nepalese Government besides representatives of the Sikh community from Nepal and outside.

The Nepalese Prime Minister reportedly assured Oberoi and Jayant Prasad that the Nepalese Government would do whatever required to stop the auction/allotment of land that belonged to the Sikh shrine.

The Nepalese Government had given a public notice for auctioning the Sikh shrine land last month before Oberoi and Pritam Singh, president of the Gurdwara Management Committee of Nepal, moved the Supreme Court in Kathmandu and got an interim injunction. The next date of hearing is December 8.

There are three gurdwaras in Nepal, all in Kathmandu and run by mahants, mostly from Varanasi or Punjab. But the Sikh Rehat Maryada is not being followed in any of the Sikh shrines. For Oberoi, the discovery of the shrine during his visit to Nepal, to oversee the formation of Nepalese Gatka Federation, was accidental.

“At one of the gurdwaras is a well with hymns in Gurmukhi inscribed on its walls. We have started work on cleaning the well and restoring this historic monument to its original shape,” said Oberoi, who is also managing trustee of the Sarbat Da Bhala Trust that has been working for the release of several Indian youths languishing in various UAE jails.

Guru Nanak Dev is believed to have visited Kathmandu in 1516 AD. The gurdwara was earlier known as Charbaksh Sthan, Sangat Bari and Sankha Bari and Guru. Oberoi took up the matter the Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur who evinced a keen interest in the restoration of the gurdwara. She spoke with the Indian Ambassador.

About the shrine…

Guru Nanak Math is on the banks of the Vishnu Mati river

It is a part of the 200-acres of land donated by the King of Nepal, Jaya Prakash Malla, to Guru Nanak during his visit to Kathmandu in 1516

Most of the land, registered in the name of Guru Nanak Dev, has been developed for commercial and residential purposes

But a piece of land measuring five acres remains in possession of the gurdwara run by a mahant

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121119/punjab.htm#6

The Tribune – Challenging path ahead for newly formed SGPC House

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 4. Even as the new SGPC House is expected to formally begin its tenure this month, it faces the challenge of dealing with various Panthic issues that await to be resolved for years now.

Ashok Singh Bagaria of the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, said the biggest challenge before the new SGPC House would be to bring in consistency in “maryada” (code of conduct).

“It has been an unholy election wherein the SAD forged an alliance with the Sant Samaj, which comprises of various deras that follow different ‘maryadas’. Many constituents of the Sant Samaj don’t follow the Sikh “maryada”, but they contested the polls for the SGPC, which is the mini-parliament of Sikhs,” he said while wondering that if somebody doesn’t follow the norms of a religion how he could be a part of its premier body. He said sculpting idols of gurus for worship was another key issue.

“Earlier, there were photographs of Sikh Gurus, but now even their idols have hit the market, which is against Sikh tenets,” he added. “Ensuring that the alliances in the state politics do not have any impact on the SGPC will also be a challenge,” he opined.

Gursharanjeet Singh, Head, Department of Guru Nanak Studies, GNDU, felt that the SGPC has inducted those having political backdrop in its Dharam Parchar Committee, which has diluted the panel’s role in evolving strategy on key religious issues. “Earlier, the committee had non-political people and Sikh intellectuals as its members,” he said, adding that the panel should be given back its position of prominence. He also felt that “rehat maryada” is a key issue, stating that the SGPC must ensure that consistent “maryada” is implemented and there is no tinkering with it.

“Apostasy and mushrooming deras in the state are also huge challenges before the SGPC. The SGPC should come up with world-class educational institutions as it will not only help curb apostasy but will also check migration of Sikh youth to foreign shores for higher studies,” he said.

Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said the ruling SAD will prioritise the challenges before the SGPC keeping in view the forthcoming Assembly elections. “It will take up only those issues on priority over the next few months which will benefit the party in the polls,” he added. Apart from these, there is the issue of Dasam Granth. The SGPC has failed to evolve a consensus regarding the authenticity of certain portions of the Dasam Granth, which was penned by the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Also, the SGPC is yet to formulate rules and norms for the appointment, removal, tenure and working sphere of the Jathedars of all the Takhts, the directions regarding which were issued to it by the Takht during the tenure of ex-Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111005/punjab.htm#8

371.The Man in Blue – The Definition of a Sikh in the Rehat Maryada

The Definition of Sikh : Any human being who faithfully believes in

I. One Immortal Being,

II. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib,

III. The Guru Granth Sahib,

IV. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and

V. the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.

Sikhí as a dharm rather than a religion has not got too many doctrines but the Rehat Maryada does define who or what a Sikh is. This definition is not perfect, but it has helpful aspects.

To my thinking the definition should be around the Guru Granth and the Guru Panth, but this second part of Guru Gobind Singh’s directive, issued before he passed away, is completely missing.

Sikhs believe in One God, in One Immortal Being, there can be no doubt about that. Believing in the Ten Gurus always strikes me as a little odd, but I think what is meant is that we believe in their teachings, which are to be found in the Guru Granth. What is meant under IV is not really clear.

Any utterances and teachings that are recorded outside the Guru Granth Sahib are acceptable only if these agree with the teachings of the Guru Granth. Teachings and utterances found in Sakis, the Dasam Granth or Sarbloh Granth that do not agree with the Guru Granth Sahib are not acceptable.

I know the above is seen as controversial, although all I do is adhere to Guru Gobind Singh’s ‘Guru Granth – Guru Panth’ directive.

Long discussions have been held about the meaning of the sentence ‘who faithfully believes in the baptism bequeathed by tenth Guru’. Is it good enough to believe in, but not take Amrit ? Does it mean that you should be moving towards taking Amrit ? Or are you only a Sikh after taking Amrit ?

Note that the word Khalsa is not used. Nowhere have I found that you can be a one-fifth, two-fifth, three-fifth, four fifth Sikh or Khalsa by wearing 0ne, two, three or four Ks. Keshdhari Sikhs, Sehajdari Sikhs do not exist.

The definition of a Sikh (and a Khalsa) should be changed, simplified, and there should be a recognition that there are many people who are listening to our eternal Guru and are on the path towards being a full Sikh or Khalsa. It should also be made clear that just wearing 5 Ks and reciting the prescribed sabads does not make you a Sikh if there is no Sikh behaviour.