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Time of India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Maharashtra plans state wide events to mark 350th martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
MUMBAI: Maharashtra will hold year-long, state-wide events to mark the 350th martyrdom of the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, beginning in November. At a meeting chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, representatives of the Sikh community and senior govt officials discussed preparations to make the events memorable. Sant Gyani Harnam Singh Khalsa, Pradahan of Sant Samaj, was among the Sikh representatives who attended the meeting. 'This event of religious tolerance and national consciousness is of immense importance to the country,' Khalsa said. PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath are expected to attend three major gatherings at Nanded, Nagpur, and Mumbai Metropolitan Region, respectively. 'This historic event will help Maharashtra reaffirm its reputation as a symbol of cultural consciousness, religious tolerance, and national integrity. We are glad the CM is taking personal interest in making the events memorable,' said Bal Malkit Singh, Convenor, Maharashtra Sikh Association and Director of the state-level organising committee of the events. Malkit Singh added that the events will not only create awareness about the Guru's life and works but will also help foster love, peace and communal harmony. Fadnavis said that a special booklet on the life and values of Guru Tegh Bahadur will be published in Hindi, Punjabi, and Marathi to propagate the story of the Guru's life and sacrifice and make the new generation aware of his values. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Events to mark GTB martyrdom
Mumbai: The state will hold year-long state-wide events to mark the 350th martyrdom of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, beginning November. At a meeting chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis, Sikh community representatives and senior govt officials discussed preparations to make the events memorable. Sant Gyani Harnam Singh Khalsa, Pradahan of Sant Samaj, was among Sikh representatives at the meeting. TNN Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SAD vs Damdami Taksal: Panthic crisis rooted in contest for control of Sikh institutions and religious affairs
1 2 3 Jalandhar: The ongoing Panthic crisis — in which Akal Takht and Takht Patna Sahib-based clergy appear in conflict with each other, and Damdami Taksal and a few Nihang groups have opposed Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj's June 6 address — seems to be a continuation of events that have taken place in recent past, but it is rooted in a contest for control over Sikh institutions and religious affairs — one that is being fought with Shiromani Akali Dal ( SAD ) on one side and Damdami Taksal, along with other traditional groups, on the other. As the Gurdwara Reform Movement, which had roots in the Singh Sabha movement, led to the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and SAD in 1920, they remained closely intertwined and at the centre of Sikh religio-political affairs. Sikh sampardas (traditional groups), including the taksal and Nihangs, remained at the margins, with limited roles. Taksal rose to prominence with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as its head. After Operation Bluestar, it became the most influential organisation after SGPC and took an independent political line, which several times was at variance with mainstream Akalis. It remained a rallying point for Sikh groups, especially the radicals, and a parallel centre. The present taksal chief, Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma, has also headed Sant Samaj. Facing pressure from Sikh groups of different hues, the Badals forged an alliance with the taksal, including the Sant Samaj. In the 2011 SGPC elections, they contested as allies, with the taksal getting 20 seats. "Earlier, the taksal and other sampardas would have no influence in decision making, even as several granthis were coming from a taksal background and a few of them rose to prominence. But after Sant Samaj, led by the taksal chief, openly aligned with SAD, they started having major influence in decision making," former SGPC secretary Kulwant Singh Randhawa, who also authored two books on the Sikh body and Sikh affairs, told TOI in Nov last year. When SAD openly and repeatedly said RSS and BJP were taking control of Sikh institutions outside Punjab and were also behind attempts to dislodge Sukhbir Singh Badal from the leadership of SAD, the taksal announced support for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra assembly elections in Nov. Bitterness had been brewing between SAD and the taksal. Now, the Akali Dal crisis has unfolded in a way that traditional groups, especially the taksal, have completely fallen out with the political party. Things have reached a point where Baba Dhumma led a dharna outside the SGPC office on March 28, during the meeting of its general house, against the unceremonious sacking of takht jathedars. In the latest stand-off, when taksal and Nihang groups are citing 'maryada' issues about the appointment of the new acting jathedar and arguing that his appointment has not been approved by the larger community, their grievance is also about their diminished role in SGPC's decision making. Over the past decade, Akali Dal weakened, despite controlling SGPC and by implication Akal Takht. However, the traditional groups gained influence and became a religious establishment in their own right. The phase of alliance seems to be over and they now appear to vying for control of religious institutions.
