Trudeaus perform ‘sewa’ at Golden Temple : The Tribune India

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Trudeaus perform ‘sewa’ at Golden Temple

AMRITSAR: Clad in a white kurta-pyjama and head covered with a saffron-coloured cloth, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today offered prayers at the Golden Temple.

Trudeaus perform ‘sewa’ at Golden Temple

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his family at the Golden Temple on Wednesday.



GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 21

Clad in a white kurta-pyjama and head covered with a saffron-coloured cloth, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today offered prayers at the Golden Temple.

Trudeau was accompanied by his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who was wearing a traditional turquoise kurta, and two of his three children, who also wore traditional Punjabi outfits.

They all greeted devotees with folded hands. The slogan, “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal”, could be repeatedly heard as they entered the complex.

As part of “sewa” (volunteer service), he and his family members rolled chapattis at the shrine’s langar hall to make his visit more “meaningful” as Sikhs constitute a large segment of people of Indian origin settled in Canada.

Besides the Canadian premier’s personal security, the Punjab Police and the SGPC taskforce had formed a three-tier thick security cover.

The Trudeau family along with a delegation of his ministers and MPs reached the Golden Temple straight from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport around 11:55 am.

A red carpet was laid out for the dignitaries by the SGPC. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal received Trudeau at the entrance.

The Trudeau family then took a round of the “parikarma”. His Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan and Federal Ministers Navdeep Singh Bains, Amarjit Singh Sohi and Bardish Kaur Chaggar accompanied him.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and state Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu were also present at the shrine. Only two SGPC officials, chief secretary Dr Roop Singh and information officer Jaswinder Jassi, were allowed to accompany the dignitaries. They explained the concept and importance of the shrine to them.

At Guru Ram Dass Jee Langar Hall, Trudeau, his wife and children sat down on small stools and tried their hands on kneading dough and rolling chapatis. They, however, didn’t partake of langar. Sources said they were running behind of schedule.

Trudeau offered “karah parshad” and “rumala sahib” at the sanctum sanctorum. All delegation members were presented “siropas” by the head priest. In a first, the head priest also offered a bouquet to the Canadian PM.

Later, the SGPC presented Trudeau a 24-karat gold-plated portrait of the Golden Temple, a gold-plated “siri sahib” (a small sword), a shawl and miniature replicas of the shrine. His wife, too, was given a shawl and religious books.

Longowal said Trudeau’s visit would definitely help propagating the identity of Sikhs on the global map and would curb the instances of racial discrimination on foreign soil.

Dr Roop Singh said the purpose of presenting the gold-plated “siri sahib” with SGPC’s nomenclature inscribed on it was to give a message of sanctity of Sikh religious symbol worldwide. Later, Trudeau visited the Partition Museum in the city.

Ealier, Puri and Sidhu received the Canadian PM and his delegation at the airport around 10.40 am. Amritsar Commissioner of Police SS Srivastva and Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha were also present.


1,500 cops deployed in holy city

  • The Canadian PM was accompanied by wife Sophie Gregoire, daughter Ella-Grace and elder son Xavier. SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh said Trudeau’s youngest son Hadrien failed to make it to the Golden Temple. The SGPC presented one model each of the shrine to Ella-Grace and Xavier. When Trudeau pointed out that Hadrien would also want one, the SGPC immediately arranged it.
  • Over 1,500 police personnel were deployed in the holy city. Senior police officials, including SSPs and DIGs, besides a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team, were on duty.
  • Despite tight security, Trudeau made himself accessible to the devotees and visiting compatriots for selfies and videos. Some SGPC officials grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Hardliners detained

The police detained about 10 Sikh hardliners, who wanted to meet the Canadian PM, well before he arrived at the Golden Temple. They were released after Justin Trudeau left the shrine complex. Those who were taken into preventive custody included SAD (A) general secretary Jarnail Singh Sakhira, All India Sikh Students’ Federation president Karnail Singh Peermohammad and United Akali Dal’s Balwant Singh Gopala. Sakhira said he and other SAD (A) leaders were intercepted by a police party led by SP (city) JS Walia near a “jodha ghar”. They were detained in a nearby hotel and released after 3 pm. They wanted to hand over a memorandum to the Canadian PM regarding the “atrocities and discrimination” by the ruling party to Sikhs in Punjab. “We tried to convince the police that we did not want to disturb peace, but in vain,” he added. Peermohammad said he was detained on the Heritage Street. “I was kept at Kotwali police station and then at B-division police station. I wanted to seek Trudeau’s intervention in the Sikh genocide probe,” he added. TNS

Takht Jathedar kept waiting

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh faced an awkward situation when Trudeau, owing to protocol, didn’t visit Akal Takht on the Golden Temple premises. The Jathedar had, on Tuesday, praised Trudeau for his “immense contribution for the welfare of Sikh community in Canada” and desired to honour him if he visited Akal Takht. After paying obeisance at the Golden Temple, as Trudeau reached near the Takht, Dr Roop Singh, SGPC chief secretary, explained him the significance of the highest temporal seat of the Sikh community, while the Jathedar was seen waiting on the first floor podium. But Trudeau just passed by, while greeting Jathedar with folded hands. Sources said the high-profile Canadian delegation was running behind schedule. 

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