Akal Takht today announced that Guru Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary would be celebrated as per the Bikrami calendar on December 25, rejecting an SGPC’s proposal to follow Nanakshahi calendar in celebrating “Parkash Utsav”.
The date was announced during a meeting of five high priests here.
In a recent executive body meeting, SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar suggested to Akal Takht to celebrate Gurpurb on January 5 instead of December 25 as it coincided with the shaheedi saptah (martyrdom week).
The shaheedi saptah will be from December 22 (the martyrdom day of Guru’s elder sons Ajit Singh and Jhujhar Singh) to December 27 (the martyrdom day of the Guru’s younger sons Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh).
No celebrations are supposed to be held during the period of mourning.
The matter had reached Akal Takht to take a final call.
Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh snubbed the SGPC for asking to postpone the celebrations. He invited the Sikh Sangat to participate with fervour at Patna Sahib, the birth place of the 10th Guru.
Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh and coordinator Jasbir Singh Khandur, meanwhile, appealed to the community to observe Gurpurb as per the Nanakshahi calendar.
Meanwhile, the controversial conclave by the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an affiliate of the RSS, held on October 25 in New Delhi did not find a place on the agenda.
The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat had recently claimed to submit a clarification and sought appointment with Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. “We have not received the clarification yet,” he said.
The high priests have asked the community to keep tabs on Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale’s preachings. Giani Gurbachan Singh directed that CDs of Dhadrianwale’s discourses be submitted to the SGPC’s probe committee. “If the content is found objectionable, action would be initiated as per maryada against him,” he said.
Akal Takht deferred a decision on a complaint lodged by a delegation of 60 SGPC members, led by Bibi Jagir Kaur, against the edicts issued by the ‘parallel’ jathedars.
Giani Gurbachan Singh also did not discuss a complaint submitted by Leader of the Opposition Sukhpal Khaira against Jagir Kaur.
The clergy decided to confer Shiromani Sewa Rattan and Shiromani Raagi titles on Baba Balbir Singh of the 96 Crori Budha Dal and hazoori raagi Bhai Jaswant Singh, respectively, on November 29.
