Monthly Archives: August 2018

he 550th birth anniversary of the Guru falls on Tuesday.

Kapurthala, November 10

To mark the 550^th birth anniversary of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak Dev, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced his government’s decision to instal a Chair in the name of the Guru at 11 universities, including one from Iran.

Singh made the announcement at an event at Punjab Technical University here, in presence of representatives of all the 11 universities, of which seven are in Punjab and three spread across other parts of India.

The Chair will be entrusted with conducting research on the life and teachings of Guru Nanak, according to an official statement.

The 550^th birth anniversary of the Guru falls on Tuesday.

Punjab’s Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said the Chairs would be established at Punjabi University, Patiala; IK Gujral PTU Jalandhar-Kapurthala; Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda; Lovely Professional University, Phagwara; Chandigarh University, Gharuan; Chitkara University, Rajpura; Akal University, Talwandi Sabo; besides ITM University, Gwalior; RDKF University, Bhopal; JIS University, West Bengal; and the University of Religion, Iran.

The event was held to honour and award 400 prominent Punjabis from around the world for their contributions in various fields. The Chief Minister expressed happiness at seeing Punjabis making the state and the country proud with their achievements.

Singh exhorted the Punjabis to remember their roots and join his government in creating opportunities for the youth, who lacked opportunities in the state at present.

“Let us all join hands to give them those opportunities,” he added.

Pointing out that it was the responsibility of the present generation to ensure the development of the next, Singh urged the visiting Punjabis to make the youth aware of their duty.

“A real Sikh would always listen to the ‘baani’ of the Guru,” he said.

He also pointed to the depleting ground water table to warn that, as per assessments, Punjab was likely to turn into a desert in the next 25 years.

“We have to prevent this from happening,” he stressed, adding that the real tribute to Guru Nanak Dev would be to preserve our natural resources for future generations.

Singh also talked about environment pollution, resulting from stubble burning, and urged all to collectively spread the message of the first Sikh Guru of “Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Maata Dharati”.

Burning paddy straw was affecting the health of all people, including the farmers, he added.

Noting the historic importance of the occasion, he said his government had, in the past few weeks, organised 72 programmes to propagate the philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev.

The Chief Minister visited Kartarpur in Pakistan and paid obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib on Saturday, and said he would definitely try to visit the historic gurdwara again. PTI

11 varsities to get Chair in name of Guru Nanak: CM

Roopinder Singh

An entreaty to the Almighty to enable the followers of Guru Nanak to have the freedom to worship at the gurdwaras that have been taken away from the panth is an integral part of ardaas, the Sikh daily prayer. The need for this ardaas arose because Partition tore apart Punjab and its people. It also rendered much of the Sikh sacred spaces inaccessible to a vast majority of Sikhs.

Nankana Sahib is where Guru Nanak was born, and Kartarpur — the town he founded, lived in for over two decades and where he breathed his last, after finding and naming his successor on merit — are among the most important historical gurdwaras associated with the founder of the Sikh faith. Naturally, there are many other gurdwaras connected with Guru Nanak and his successors that have been inaccessible to the Sikhs on the whole since 1947. The longing to pray there led to the fore-mentioned addition to the ardaas.

The excitement and jubilation that has been seen among the Sikhs at a chance to visit their sacred space is palpable, more so since it has been timed to coincide with the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The genesis

It would be instructive to take an imaginative trip to when Kartarpur, literally the abode of God, was founded. There was a settlement of those who committed themselves and their families to the Guru and his teachings. The Guru’s mother, Mata Tripta, his wife Bibi Sulakhni, and sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das lived among them. They led lives typical of Punjabi farmers, the day shaped by the needs that come with tilling the land and attending to other worldly chores.

The Guru, his family and his followers lived life as it ought to be lived. What kind of followers were these? Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, says “sants” — people who are and live by the Truth. Naturally, Kartarpur attracted many people. However, only the committed individuals stayed and engaged in honest labour, even as they devoted themselves to the Creator. Guru Nanak’s bani was recited as they sought to align the material and spiritual aspects of right living.

The Guru met all who came to meet him, the curious, the seekers and the followers. The Guru’s bani was written, recited and sung. Guru Nanak was spending time with his family, which had been separated from him during the long udasis that took him to what is now Sri Lanka in the south, to Tibet in the north, Bangladesh in the east and Saudi Arabia in the west.

Piety prevailed. Recognising the truth of the oneness of God and his creation, living a truthful life, devoted to spiritual pursuits and sustainable living….this was utopia, except that it was tangible. We find the beginnings of sangat, pangat and langar, practices that were later institutionalised, here.

The collective spirit of the sangat of Kartarpur spread from the town founded by Guru Nanak to reach out to the world. The spirit transcended the physical. Guru Nanak’s successors founded new towns. They all sought to approximate the environment that existed at Kartapur first.

The Darbar Sahib

The gurdwara at Kartarpur occupies a special place in Sikh ethos. It was well-tended to until Partition. Just before Partition, the Sikh leaders forcefully presented their case for free access to important Sikh gurdwaras that would fall into Pakistan. The late Justice Teja Singh, in his submission to Boundary Commission, said: “for the Sikhs, the city of Amritsar, the city of Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura district, the city of Kartarpur in Shahargarh tehsil, Gurdaspur district, are the Mecca and Medina and their Hardwar and Benares.” The pleas, even a massive protest at Nanakana Sahib that cost several lives, were of no avail. After Partition, the gurdwaras and the properties attached to them were considered “evacuee property.”

Evolving geopolitical equations and potential religious tourism changed the scenario somewhat over the years, but the physical spaces will remain mired in Indo-Pak relations.

The recent months have been of hope for the Sikhs. The physical structure of Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, has been transformed, Sultanpur Lodhi has been spruced up, and a new road laid to accommodate the expectedly large flow of pilgrims. Various protocols have been chalked out, differences brushed under the carpet and arrangements made for pilgrims. As for the ordinary Sikhs, they are just waiting for the day they can pay obeisance at this historic gurdwara.

Marking 550 years

Guru Nanak’s Kartarpur was the venue of realisation and implementation of the principle of Oneness of the Creator and the created. It was the place of dignity where artificial inequalities, brought about by caste and gender discrimination, were eliminated, priestly classes and others with pretentions of worldly status were negated by the declaration and acceptance of divinity in everyone — Guru Nanak’s followers were expected to extend themselves, spiritually, socially, and physically.

The 550th anniversary of his birth ought to be an occasion for all his followers to present a united front in consonance with this vision, to be exemplars of his teachings, and to produce literature that would allow others to learn about the founder of Sikhism.

The Guru’s vision was of oneness. Those who seek to speak in his name are far from unified. Finding a shadow of a vision in the programmes that have been rolled out would be quite a task. The squabble for credit is as ill-founded as it is distasteful.

We tend to blame leaders. Writing as a Sikh, it is time to introspect. Do we stay true to the core of the Guru’s teachings in our everyday life? Are we not reducing ourselves by performing rituals without reflecting on and following the instructions of the Guru?

Punjab has the largest concentration of Sikhs in the world. It is a state where the environment is exploited; stubble burning poisons the atmosphere and increasingly inadequate education, lack of moral compass and substance abuse contaminates the future generations.

We know the Guru and his teachings in a superficial manner. Now is the time to be the real followers of the Guru, to identify with the poor and eschew consumerism that has gripped us.

The world admires the spirit of Sikhs who are getting ready to perform Sewa and go to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur. Just as there is a narrow corridor that links us to the place where the Guru taught us how to live, there is also a narrow corridor that allows us to transcend the distance we have, unfortunately, moved away from the essence of the Guru’s teachings.

Real obeisance to the Guru would be to devote ourselves to his teachings. To stand out because of the strength of character. To conquer the ego and bow before the Almighty rather than temporary temporal masters. Let the 550th birth anniversary of the Guru be the occasion that starts the process of true metamorphosis of his followers.

Lt Gen Shamsher Singh Mehta (retd) & Gautam Bambawale

Ever since the US military established the Indo-Pacific Command, and as senior US Cabinet members, including President Trump, continue to focus attention on it, this region has become the new cynosure in any discussion on international ties. India, too, has established an Indo-Pacific Division in its MEA, and even ASEAN, which only works on consensus, has announced a new Indo-Pacific outlook.

How should this new geographical and strategic construct be viewed? Is it a game changer, or is it merely to contain China? This subject will come up for discussion at the 5th Pune Dialogue on National Security, scheduled for November 8-9.

The big geopolitical change which has impacted the globe over the past few decades, undoubtedly, is the rise of China. Many analysts believe that the Indo-Pacific concept has been drawn up to include India, in the hope that it will help balance out China. From such ideas comes the US definition of the Indo-Pacific, as stretching from the west coast of India to the west coast of the US. Moreover, the stress on free and open Indo-Pacific implies that no country can circumscribe freedom of navigation or overflight, and that none can dominate these seas. The freedom to engage in unimpeded commerce is another aspect. Such approach aims at taking on the rising power in the world, and has its origins in classical theories of the balance of power. Does this hold good in the 21st century?

From India’s geographical location, the Indo-Pacific Region (IPR) stretches from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of the US. The western Indian Ocean is also vital for India. This is even more true when one is sitting in Pune, on the western seaboard of the country. The post-World War II order is now in great need of change, so that it reflects contemporary realities. This is not just true of institutions such as the UN and its Security Council, the World Bank and IMF, but is true of drawing up new rules of the road on many multilateral subjects which impact the global commons. How should nations approach the seas, environment, cyberspace and outer space? New rules are critical since many new nations have come into existence since the post-1945 period.

The most urgency is felt in drawing up rules of the game for the seas, particularly in the IPR. The old balance of power or the zero-sum game approach has to be jettisoned in favour of a more inclusive ‘tide raising all ships’ or ‘all for one, one for all’ paradigm, where the big and small have equal voice. This is why India insists that the region must not only be free and open, but also inclusive and prosperous. India believes that economics are important, so that all can share in joint prosperity, and also that the Indo-Pacific is not an exclusive club aimed against any nation or at keeping someone out.

The Indian perspective is that China must indeed participate in the new rule-making for the region, but it must understand that the interests of all countries should be kept in mind. This is captured in PM Modi’s concept of SAGAR—Security and Growth for All in the Region. The billion-dollar question is whether China will play this game fairly or whether it will utilise its clout and muscle to tilt any rule-making in its favour. The latter option will be unacceptable to the international community. China is experienced enough to understand this. It must understand that the globe is not layered in a hierarchical manner of a ‘hub and spoke’ model, but is now a many-hued ‘flat’ place where all nations must have their interests met.

As far as India is concerned, not only is its Act East Policy an important aspect of the larger Indo-Pacific doctrine, but also it is set to play a more active role in that part of the world. An immediate challenge lies in finalising the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. Trade in services is as important a component of this agreement as is trade in goods, given India’s competitive advantage in the services sector. Our other partners must understand this, and not bow to Chinese pressure on an early activation of the agreement if it does not satisfy India’s requirements. As a major power, China must ensure that the new rules for the global commons must entail security and growth for all.

India also has sizeable interests in the western Indian Ocean Region and hence our inclusion of that part of the globe in the Indo-Pacific. Much of our oil imports originate there, and we have large numbers of Indian nationals who find employment and send back remittances from that region. Also, the US, China and Japan have significant assets, both naval as well as societal, in that part, and hence makes it significant for us. Our Look West strategy is chugging along nicely, with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE becoming our significant partners.

Thus, there are differences in approach and salience as far as the IPR is concerned among major countries in this part of the globe. But more importantly, the objective of this construct should not be to make it exclusive. Rather, it should evolve to be the discussion chamber for chalking out new rules for the Indo-Pacific, so that the global commons can continue to be every nation’s heritage. Interests of all nations, large and small, need to be met. The Pune Dialogue is likely to come out with this conception. If India is able to articulate this viewpoint and make its voice heard on the issue, it will be no mean achievement.

Lt Gen Mehta (retd) is a former Western Army Commander; 

Bambawale is a former Ambassador to Bhutan, Pakistan and China. Both are members, Pune International Centre.

HT Correspondent

chandigarh@hindustantimes.com

Mohali : The widow and son of a 77-year-old retired colonel who was killed in a road accident two years ago will be paid ₹24.72 lakh as compensation, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), Mohali, has ruled.

The tribunal, presided over by Girish, said the amount will be paid with 6% interest, “jointly as well as severally” by Oriental Insurance Company; Mohinder Pal and Rohtas Kumar, the Ambala-based driver and owner, respectively, of the car that hit Col Tajinder Singh Randhawa near the new Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT), Mohali, as he was walking towards Balongi. He died later in hospital.

The claim, filed by late Col Randhawa’s Amritsar-based widow Sarabjit Kaur Randhawa and son Gagandeep Singh, on December 23, 2017, said the 77-year-old retired army man was walking from Dara Studio, Phase-6, Mohali, towards Balongi at about 9.30 am when a Maruti car hit him near the new ISBT. After being taken to the civil hospital in phase 6, from where he was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and then moved to Indus Hospital, Phase-1, Mohali, Col Randhawa succumbed to his injuries on December 31, 2017.

Even as Mohinder Pal and Rohtas Kumar denied before the tribunal that the accident had taken place, representatives of the insurance company said it was not liable to pay compensation as the vehicle was driven in contravention of terms and conditions of the insurance policy. They also said that the company had not been informed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing commemorative coins to mark the celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, in Bangkok on Saturday. @PIB_India/Twitter

Bangkok, November 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Guru Nanak not only belonged to Sikhs but his ideas were a heritage of the entire world and humanity, as he hailed the direct connectivity that will be established with Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan on November 9.

At an Indian diaspora event here, he also released commemorative coins to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary and a Thai translation of Thirukurral, a Tamil classic.

“Nanak not only belonged to Sikhism but his ideas are a heritage of the entire world and humanity,” Modi said.

“It is our responsibility to share the benefit of our heritage with the entire world,” he said.

“You would know that in a few days direct connectivity is going to be established with Kartarpur Sahib. On November 9 after the Kartarpur Corridor opens, Indian pilgrims will directly be able to visit Kartarpur Sahib,” he said.

“I request you to come to India with family and experience Guru Nanak’s heritage,” he said.

The Indian government for the last year across globe has been holding events to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Modi said.

India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake visa-free visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of the Sikh religion’s founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in the bilateral ties over Kashmir.

The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life.

Last November, both India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur Corridor to link the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib—the final resting place of Guru Nanak—in Pakistani town of Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. — PTI

A bedecked Gurdwara Sri Theh Sahib at Iserhail village.

Surinder Bhardwaj

Fatehgarh Sahib, November 13

The 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak proved to be a boon for the sleepy Iserhail village near Fatehgarh Sahib as various development projects worth Rs 3.84 crore initiated by the state government have been completed here.

The village gurdwara has the privilege of having been visited by Guru Nanak during one of his preaching journeys (udasis). He sat under a tree near a theh (mound) which is still there at the gurdwara. Kuljit Singh Nagra, MLA, brought this into the notice of the Chief Minister after which various projects were sanctioned for the village.

Nagra said to spread the message of Guru Nanak, a specially designed ‘Guru Ka Bagh’, the Guru Nanak Sacred Forest, had been developed near Gurdwara Sri Theh Sahib having trees of more than 35 varieties of mangoes in 2.5 acres. He said special efforts were being made to conserve the historical tree of ‘karrer’ present near the gurdwara where the Guru sat.

High-tech solar lights have been installed on the road proceeding towards the gurdwara. Besides, a park and library at the gurdwara, gym for village youths, bus shelter, cleaning of village pond water through the Seechewal model, upgrade of a school, construction of a dharamshala, upgrade of the village pond and beautification of its catchment area have been completed and these will be dedicated to people after a bhog ceremony, to be performed tomorrow.

Nagra said the historical importance of the village would be highlighted at the global level so that devotees who come to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib and Jyoti Swaroop Sahib also pay a visit here.

Mango foreston 2.5 acres

MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra says to spread the message of Guru Nanak, a specially designed ‘Guru ka Bagh’ has been developed near Gurdwara Sri Theh Sahib. The forest, spread over 2.5 acres, has trees of more than 35 varieties of mangoes.

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Lahore, November 12

A large number of Sikh pilgrims from India, Canada, the US, the UK, the UAE and different parts of Pakistan, on Tuesday gathered at the Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev in this country’s Punjab province, to mark his 550^th birth anniversary.

The Sikhs carried out a palki from the revered shrine and moved to eight other smaller gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib city in the country’s Punjab province.

The Sikh pilgrims from India, Canada, the US, the UK, the UAE and different parts of Pakistan gathered at the gurdwara and performed religious rituals.

The year 2019 marks the 550^th birth anniversary year of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, whose birthplace is Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Interior Minister Ijaz Shah said, Pakistan has given a message of peace by inaugurating the Kartarpur Corridor and making historic arrangements to let Sikh pilgrims celebrate the 550^th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

He said the Sikhs expressed joy over the arrangements regarding the birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak and opening of the Kartarpur Corridor project.

The Kartarpur Corridor was thrown open by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday, facilitating Indian pilgrims to visit one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines in the Pakistani town of Narowal.

The corridor links Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan President Arif Alvi addressed the Sikhs at the Governor’s House in Lahore where Governor Sarwar had invited some 2,000 Sikh pilgrims, who had come from different parts of the world, including India, for a luncheon, Dawn News reported.

Alvi said Sikhs would be welcomed in Pakistan and doors would remain wide open for them at every occasion. He lauded Religious Tourism and Heritage Committee led by Chaudhry Sarwar for making arrangement for the corridor opening ceremony and for arrangements made for the birth anniversary celebrations.

“Pakistan is advocating love and peace as wars are not the solution to issues, which could be resolved through dialogues,” he said.

Governor Sarwar said, “Pakistan is a safe country for minorities and it is working for restoration of religious places of not only the Sikh community but also other minorities, including Christians and Hindus”.

Notwithstanding their strained ties, India and Pakistan signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the Kartarpur Corridor.

According to the pact, Pakistan will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life at Kartarpur Sahib, which has now become the world’s largest Sikh gurdawara. — PTI