20 April 2008

Desecration of the Guru by Our Own Institutions

Desecration of the Guru by Our Own Institutions
Thursday 17th April, 2008
Panthic Weekly News Bureau


Holy Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji stacked in a filthy corner of the complex

Click to View Photograph Galllery of Desecration

Sri Rakabganj Sahib, Delhi (KP) - Thirty years ago, thirteen GurSikhs laid down their lives in the city of Amritsar Sahib when the psuedo-Nirankari heretics began desecrating and insulting Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Sikh Nation considers Guru Granth Sahib Ji the living embodiment of the ten Gurus. Utmost respect and reverence is given to the sacred Saroops that contain the Holy Bani of our Gurus and Bhagats (saints). Three decades later, our very own institutions, are now the ones who are desecrating the Holy Saroops.

"Interestingly, the Prof. Darshan Singh & Missionary lobby is totally silent about the ongoing disrespect by Sarna and Company. Instead, they are busy criticising the Bani of Dasam Patshah, and internally promoting the likes of Chaman Lal and Hari Ratan Yukta."

Panthic Weekly was given photographic and video evidence by Sewadars of Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee (India) and the Shahbaaz Khalsa organization on the reckless beadbi that is occurring at the premises of "Gur Updesh Printers", the official printing establishment of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) under Paramjit Sarna and company.

When the DSGMC found out this evidence was being collected, they quickly confiscated the equipment of the sevadars—but fortunately, other equipment was still in their possession with which they collected this evidence of violations.


Uncovered Guru Granth Sahib Ji stacked like bricks on the ground

Ironically, the DSGMC has a budget of over 1 Billion (100 crore) rupees to manage Delhi based Gurdwaras, Sikh schools, and colleges. The massive complex at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, besides the historic Gurdwara Sahib, contains the well known Lakhi Shah Vanjara Hall, DSGMC offices, and the publishing center known as Gur Updesh Printers.

Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib is the sacred site where Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji's body was cremated by Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara in 1675.


As Guru Ji's Saroops are being desecrated, the Siyaasi-masands of the DSGMC enjoy thier luxurious air-conditioned offices in the Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib complex

Due to mis-management and carelessness, this once serene and sparkling complex is now under the virtual control of the "siyaasi-masands' of the DSGMC.

For the last several years, the committee has been outsourcing Gurdwara seva to non-Sikhs and migrant Biharis. Their presence is known from the never ending line of discarded tobacco-bettle nut packs littering the complex.


Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib complex littered with discarded tobacco pouches

[GVID#]-3855856829121965984[/GVID#]
Click to video of littered tobacco pouches at Gurdwara Complex

In 2005, PW published an article "Bihari migrants desecrate premises of Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib" http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/2097/2005-12-18.html which was an expose done by Shahbaaz Khalsa that illustrated how the Gurdwara Sahib premises was being misused and desecrated by these Bihari migrants (often referred to as 'Bhaeeyas'). These migrants continue to carry and chew tobacco on the premises of the sacred complex.

Per Sikh Maryada (Code of Conduct), alcohol, tobacco, and similar paraphernalia are not to be brought in or consumed on any Gurdwara premises. These same migrants are also in charge of the Langar Halls and other key duties throughout the complex.

Disrespect of Saroops

When visitors at the complex come to get Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they are taken to a well kept hall with dozens and dozens of Saroops placed on Sukhasan platforms. Yet undercover footage of the same complex revealed that Bhayeeays strolled through the Sukhasan room without covering their heads. This is a major violation of Sikh Maryada.


Employees walk around with their heads uncovered in the Sukhasan Room for Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Visitors are further shocked to know that on one side, luxurious offices with marble floors, and expensive furniture are provided to Paramjit Sarna and his DSGMC staff, but behind the Sukhasan room, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's Saroops are being printed in sub-standard unkempt areas littered with rubbish and scrap.


When the sewadars of the Satkar Committee visited the printing areas, they were shocked to see so many uncovered Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji stacked like bricks. Many of these Saroops were literally touching the ground, with just a thin rumala between them.

"How can this go on in an organization whose budget is in the crores of rupees? "

Although, there was the separate Sukhasan room in the complex, it was not being utilized for these Saroops, nor was it big enough to store all of these Saroops. The Satkar Committee sewadars spent several hours relocating some of the Saroops to the Sukhasam room, so they can be given proper respect, but only so many could be moved.

Stacks of Saroops Everywhere

As the sewadars moved throughout the complex, they saw more and more stacks everywhere, many left uncovered, and others carelessly covered by a single white bed sheet. The sewadars estimated over 300 Saroops in many of these giant stacks. There were dozens of these stacks throughout the hall.

Bhai Balbir Singh of the Satkar Committee estimated that all in all there were several thousand Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji being stored in that shabby complex, all without proper maryada and respect.

One of the Satkar Committee sevadars exclaimed, "How can this go on in an organization whose budget is in the crores of rupees? If they can afford, luxurious offices for themselves, why can't [they afford] the same for our King of Kings? Why is Guru Maharaj being kept in this condition? This is totally unexcusable!"


Hundereds of Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji stacked like bricks, dozens of such stacks were in the comple

Angs of Guru Granth Sahib tossed in Trash

Another shocking scene the sewadars encountered was that damaged or misprinted angs of Guru Granth Sahib were thrown into rubbish bins, along with normal paper waste. These Angs contained the sacred verses of Gurbani, yet they were being treated like trash.

The sewadars also saw one saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji that had been parkash on a dirty desk, there were no rumallas or chaur sahib for that open saroop. It was left unattended, with a paper inserted in it as a place holder. Again, another huge violation of Sikh Maryada.


Discarded Angs of Guru Granth Sahib Ji thrown into rubbish bins.

Another violations the sewadars noted was that complete single volume Saroops were being printer in Hindi and Urdu. Sri Akal Takht directive does not allow single volumes of Guru Granth Sahib to be printed in any langauge other than Gurmukhi - only Senchees are allowed.

Sewadars of the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee and the Shahbaaz Khalsa recently held a press conference in which this photographic evidence was handed to the press and then submitted to Sri Akal Takht Sahib so that this beadbi (extreme disrespect) could be stopped as soon as possible. Sadly, neither the appointed Jathedar Vedanti nor the press has taken notice of these violations.

Both organizations have appealed to the Panth at large, that pressure should be put on appointed Jathedar Vedanti to take stern action against the DSGMC executives so that this beadbi in their complex can be stopped.
To the Sikh Nation there is nothing more sacred than our sacred Gurbani, it is the very form of our Guru. That is why even the paper and the ink it is written with is called blessed.

ਧੰਨੁ ਸੁ ਕਾਗਦੁ ਕਲਮ ਧੰਨੁ ਧਨੁ ਭਾਂਡਾ ਧਨੁ ਮਸੁ ॥
Blessed is the paper, blessed is the pen, blessed is the inkwell, and blessed is the ink.
ਧਨੁ ਲੇਖਾਰੀ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਲਿਖਾਇਆ ਸਚੁ ॥1॥
Blessed is the writer, O Nanak, who writes the True Name. 1

While there are those who will sacrifice everything for the respect and honor of this Sacred Holy Bani, there are many who will look the other way since it is much easier and fashionable in this day and age.

Historically, it was well known that Sikhs gained their power from the sacred Gurbani. It was so revered that Sikh kings such as Raja Ranjit Singh would always have Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth Sahib on thrones higher than them, generals would take both saroops on elephants into battle as commander-in-chief.

These very detractors of the Panth have attacked not only Sri Dasam Granth Sahib, but are also undermining the reverance and respect accorded to Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The 13 Shaheeds of '78 and others throughout history gave their lives to stop this very type of beadbi happening today. In the future, will there be any Sikhs left that stand up for their Guru's respect?

Click to View Photograph Galllery of Desecration

[edmail]



EVIDENCE - Panthic organizations appalled at the level of disrespect by Delhi Gurdwara Publishers.

I was up late last night looking at these pictures, my heart breaking. I am tempted to post all 33 from this gallery of shame, but it would take too long with my slow connexion and I want to get this up.

Pictures come to mind.

My Dad, at 97, still gracefully anf reverently bowing to Guru Ji.

Suni, clutching Guru Ji to her pregnant body as the fighting and carnage went on around her.

The shaheeds bowing with love and reverence before they left.

Myself, sitting cross-legged, tears on my face, coming home after an absence of 20 years.

Sitting here, typing, my eyes catch the little wooden box that holds the hairs from my combs. I can't help but think how the shed hairs from my head are treated with more respect than our dear Guru Ji.

Please send this link to the article to every Sikh you know. http://www.panthic.org/news/126/ARTICLE/4039/2008-04-17.html

And if they don't have access to the Internet, print it out and give them a copy. This obscenity must end at once!

I first read this article in the blog, The Confused Khalsa Rambles.



--



WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

Would You Bring Hitler To Justice?

Going through my e-mail, I came upon this editorial from The Panthic Weekly. It contains ideas I have often thought about, so I present it to you.

I noticed that their reference to the [person] generally known as 'KPS Gill' left out the 'S.' At first I thought it was a mistake or a misprint - until I considered that the 'S' stands for 'Singh,' a name Gill has forfeited all rights to. Very good, Panthic Weekly, and thank you!


Thursday 17th April, 2008
Niranjan Singh, Panthic Weekly Commentator


Scene of the recent BC Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan where the Government attempted to censor the photos of Great Sikh Heroes and Shaheeds

If you could go back and Bring Hitler to Justice—before the Holocaust, before Kristallnacht, before any of it—Would you do it? Would it be wrong? Well, Kim Bolan of the Vancouver Sun seems to think it's wrong.

In recent articles by the "reporter" in the Vancouver Sun, she has slated Sikhs, as a community, for respecting those that died to prevent horrific genocide—to stop those that would kill every man, woman and child out of hate for their beliefs or origins.

In the past few years, the Surrey and British Columbia governments have decided that free speech doesn't apply to the Sikhs. They have asked us to stop respecting our heroes, those that died for what they believed in, equality. They have asked us to forget our rich history of sacrifices for righteousness. They have asked us to give up our core beliefs and values because they don't fit in with their politically correct, diplomatic visions. However, this policy of forgetting the past causes many Sikhs to believe that Canada and other Western Nations are more concerned with economic deals with countries like India and China regardless of their human rights records. India: a country where University students admire Adolph Hitler as one of their top three heroes while denying The Holocaust ever happened.

It is well known in India and throughout immigrant communities that Indira Gandhi and her government had a clear cut plan to "unite" India at all costs, including sacrificing civil rights for Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and other minorities. One of the first objectionable actions by the government dates back 30 years when the government openly supported the creation of an anti-Sikh cult, that was guarded by a heavy para-military contingent that marched through the holy city of Amritsar. The march included derogatory words and actions by the cult leader as he openly defamed Sikh Gurus. When the Sikhs peacefully protested for them to stop, they were gunned down—mercilessly slaughtered. Sikhs tried to file police reports regarding the incident and they were turned away; justice denied. Yet Kim Bolan and various authorities seem to want to deny justice again by having us remove and denounce pictures that highlight their sacrifices.

However, what followed has left deeper wounds in the hearts of Sikhs. Operation Blue Star—not just an attack on Amritsar, but a series of simultaneous attacks on DOZENS of historical temples across Punjab—was meant to strike at the very heart, physically and emotionally, of the Sikhs. After that, riots were planned in the streets of major cities, as mobs were given voter rolls to identify Sikh homes and businesses, then more attacks.

In 1984, after witnessing the carnage of government run genocide across their state, targeting their people, "assassins" took it upon themselves to stop what they saw as wrong. Wouldn't any reasonable person when faced with untold numbers of innocent people facing torture and death at the hands of a hateful regime? The justification worked in World War II when The Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, it's the same justification Bush used for the Iraq war: Stop those that would mercilessly slaughter thousands of innocents on a whim, before they are allowed to carry out their heinous crimes. Israel was created to stop hate against the Jews, Tibet should be free to stop persecution of a people because of their beliefs. Tibet in China is no different than Punjab in India—a people persecuted and oppressed by their own government.

Unfortunately, some of the plans still came to fruition. With the death of Indira as an excuse, the Sikhs faced their very own Kristallnacht. However the history of a people and a religion that has continually faced persecution for hundreds of years seems to be irrelevant to Kim Bolan. They are assassins because they killed someone she admires.

Kim Bolan's allegiances suggest that she doesn't frown on genocide. In fact, one of her known associates in the "Sikh" community is K.P. Gill, the so-called "supercop." She respects him for putting down what she calls "terrorism." What she doesn't seem to care about, is how this so-called terrorism was put down—torture, genocide, murder, mass graves, Gestapo-like tactics. This mass murder is condoned, and even admired by a reporter who doesn't bother to investigate the facts and clearly injects her strong bias and opinions into her articles.

Some may forget that at one time George Washington was a terrorist according to the British. So was Gandhi. In fact, Nelson Mandela famously quoted Gandhi in 2000 stating, "Where choice is set between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…I prefer to use arms in defense of honor rather than remain the vile witness of dishonor." If standing up for what you believe in, if putting your life on the line to save others, and if asking for human dignity and the right to free speech and freedom of religion is terrorism. Then we are terrorists. Had the Americans lost the Revolutionary War they would've been known in history as assassins and terrorists, but instead they are looked up to across the world as symbols of freedom and liberty. What Kim Bolan doesn't seem to understand is that the majority of the Sikh community worldwide thinks she is a joke. The majority of the Sikh community, unlike the puppets she almost exclusively quotes, understands these issues and why we respect our martyrs.

First it's Jathedars Talwinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh Babbar who fought for the right to exist, then Bhai Fauja Singh who peacefully protested and was shot down, then it's Guru Gobind Singh Jee, who taught us that laying down and allowing oppressors to step all over you is not right and freedom and justice are principles a person can never give up. Will you ban them all?

Kim Bolan described Khalistan as "a mythical nation Sikh separatists want carved from Punjab." Perhaps Khalistan is a state of mind, perhaps it is a myth. Or perhaps it's the Empire built by our forefathers before the British came in and created the "mythical" state of India which later split our kingdom into the "mythical" states of India and Pakistan. Perhaps we just want to be left alone and have the right to self-determination—to exist—the right to free speech and the right to religion. Would you deny us that in your free democracy as well? Fortunately, in the democracy set up in Canada—our country too—even a minority's voice is heard, whether it be Kim Bolan or Sikhs calling for 'Sarbat da Bhalla," peace for the entire world and all who inhabit it.



If you could go back and bring Hitler to Justice—before the Holocaust, before Kristallnacht —Would you do it? Would it be wrong? Kim Bolan of the Vancouver Sun seems to think so. In recent articles by the "reporter", she slated the Sikh Nation for standing up against evil and tyranny.






--
WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!