Amritsar, October 14
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC chief Jathedar Avtar Singh will hold a meeting with union home minister Shivraj Patil in Mumbai tomorrow to finalise the arrangements for
the proposed tercentenary celebrations of the “completion” of Guru Granth Sahib that
falls next year. The SGPC has asked the Centre to give global coverage to the event.
The meeting will also finalise the route of “Guru Gobind Singh Marg” from Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda) to Nanded Sahib (Maharashtra), which is likely to pass through seven states. Talking to The Tribune, the SGPC chief said a high-level team of the state government and the SGPC, comprising engineers and Sikh scholars, was already on the job to finalise the route as per Sikh history.
The tercentenary celebration of the completion of Guru Granth Sahib is being held at Takht Hazoor Sahib, Nanded (Maharashtra) in a big way. The government had already earmarked Rs 813 crore for celebrating the
historical event.
A memorandum, prepared by the SGPC, urges the union home minister, who is also chairman of the Tercentenary Celebration Committee, to direct the University Grants Commission (UGC) to incorporate the message of universal brotherhood as enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib in the syllabi of various universities of the country, CBSE and NCERT, etc.
The SGPC chief said the Sikh philosophy, enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib, is value based and preaches the message of humanity. Hence, the government of India should use the occasion to spread the message in all parts of the world. It also seeks to raise memorials at the native places of Bhagtas whose hymns are enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib.
Among those who are expected to attend tomorrow’s meeting include Giani Tarlochan Singh
and Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedars of Takht Kesgarh and Damdama Sahib, respectively, and Mahant Manjit Singh of Jammu.
The memorandum, to be presented to the union home minister, states that the government of India should raise a big memorial at Nanded Sahib, apart from establishing a big library in New Delhi after the name of Guru Gobind Singh, who was instrumental in completion of Guru Granth Sahib, 300 years ago.
It also seeks introduction of classical ragas in the syllabi of various educational institutes of the country because all holy hymns
of Guru Granth Sahib have been written in ragas.
