Collaborative efforts must for meaningful tribute

Competitive symbolism not a good idea

The dual commemorations of Guru Teg Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom anniversary by the SGPC and Punjab Government reflect a deeper dialogue between religious stewardship and secular responsibility. The SGPC, as the ecclesiastical guardian of Sikh tradition, claims rightful space in leading such spiritual tributes. Conversely, the state, rooted in constitutional secularism, bears a moral imperative to honour a historical figure whose martyrdom epitomised the defence of religious liberty for all. This divergence, however, need not breed discord. Rather, it offers an opportunity to celebrate a shared legacy through both sacred and civic lenses. Guru Teg Bahadur’s sacrifice transcends religious boundaries; it is a beacon of conscience against tyranny. Collaborative observance, instead of competitive symbolism, would honour his legacy in its fullest moral and philosophical depth. In a pluralistic society, synergy between spiritual institutions and the state can elevate remembrance from ritual to resonance.

Preetpal Singh Chhina

Synergy necessary to remember sacrifice

The decision by the SGPC and the Punjab Government to hold separate functions to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur has sparked debate. It is worth noting that the SGPC has been commemorating Sikh religious events since the inception of the Gurdwara Reform Movement. Its role is historically significant and deeply rooted in Sikh tradition. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government’s parallel initiative may reflect a desire to honour Sikh heritage—but it also raises concerns about political optics ahead of elections. The recent government-led event in Srinagar, featuring entertainment performances, drew strong SGPC objections for violating religious decorum, hurting Sikh sentiments and compromising the sanctity of the Guru’s supreme sacrifice. While both parties cite noble intentions, divided commemorations risk blurring the message. Collaboration—not competition—would offer the most meaningful tribute to the ninth Guru's legacy of sacrifice, dignity and spiritual courage.

Prabhjot Kaur

Day deserves unified commemoration

The 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur deserves a unified and respectful commemoration. Historically, the Guru stood for religious freedom and sacrificed his life defending the rights of others, especially Hindus under the Mughal oppression. His legacy teaches unity above division. SGPC, established through the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925, has a religious mandate, but the Punjab Government, too, represents the people of the state across faiths. Organising separate events not only divides the ‘sangat’ but also contradicts the Guru’s message of collective resistance and harmony, which the Panth should always follow. Instead, both entities must collaborate — SGPC can lead the religious proceedings while the state facilitates mass outreach, infrastructure and promotion. Joint programmes would pay a more fitting tribute to the Guru’s universal ideals of sacrifice, justice and unity in diversity. Jaspreet Singh

Unity between bodies need of the hour

Both the SGPC and the Punjab Government should come together to celebrate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur with unity and respect. The Guru sacrificed his life for the protection of religion and humanity. Such a great occasion should not be turned into a show of authority or power. The SGPC believes it is their responsibility to handle religious events, which is understandable because they have always done it. However, at the same time, the Punjab Government also wants to contribute, showing that religion belongs to everyone, not just one group. Instead of organising separate functions, they should collaborate and create one grand, meaningful event. That will send a message of peace, unity and respect — which is exactly what Guru Teg Bahadur stood for. Celebrating this event together will bring more people together and truly honour the Guru’s sacrifice. Vaani Mehra

Share single stage to promote amity

It is a sorry state of affairs that politics has infiltrated into most of the religions, and so is the case with the Sikh religion. SGPC had been a powerful body constituted to look after affairs of the Sikh shrines and propagate the religion, but over the years, political parties have been using SGPC’s entity for their own purposes. To organise separate functions to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur is a mere show of strength between the AAP government and the SGPC. The government and the SGPC must observe the anniversary jointly and share single stage to give public a message of unity and amity that is the need of the hour. Anil Vinayak

SGPC should only take care of religious affairs

I strongly disagree with the notion that the Punjab Government should be involved in organising functions to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, simply because the SGPC is already doing so. The SGPC is a well-established and recognised body that has been managing gurdwaras and organising religious events for the Sikh community for decades. The SGPC's expertise and experience in managing such events cannot be replicated by the government, and it would be a duplication of efforts. Moreover, the government's involvement could be seen as an attempt to politicise a sacred event, which could undermine the spiritual significance of the occasion. Furthermore, if the government starts organising religious events, it could set a precedent for other communities to demand similar involvement, leading to a potential blurring of lines between the state and religious institutions. The SGPC's efforts to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur should be appreciated and respected, and the government should focus on providing support and resources as needed, rather than trying to take over the organisation of the event. Jaswinder Singh

Govt should only focus on social welfare

In my view, the Punjab Government is at fault for thinking that religion is not the domain of a single entity. Here, the reasons stated by the SGPC are accurate for having the mandate to organise religious functions. It is because it represents the authority of Sikhs and is a religious entity whereas the Punjab Government has been appointed through voters of the state for the welfare of all. It should not interfere in religious matters. The Punjab Government is totally wrong and it should focus only on the matters concerning state affairs such as arresting culprits, improving infrastructure such as roads, preventing road accidents by installing CCTV cameras on roads, controlling the rising of petty crimes such as thefts, curbing rampant corruption and drug menace, and creating job opportunities not only in government sector but also in the private sector to remove large-scale unemployment in our state. There are so many important things that the Punjab Government has still got to do. It should not lose its motto and rather focus of serving the mankind. Sanjay Chawla

SGPC better equipped to spearhead ceremony

The SGPC is better equipped to spearhead this ceremony. They have been celebrating it every year. They are better prepared and unlikely to commit mistakes. CM Bhagwant Mann is ignorant about Sikh history. Somehow within the Sikh community, many people have strong parochial ideas. Guru Teg Bahadur made a unique sacrifice for the sake of the repressed majority humanity that no one can think of. Harjap Singh Aujla

State must be secular, ensure security

According to the constitutional rights of equality and freedom of religion guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, every individual and institution has the right to publicly celebrate any religious festival in accordance with the customs, rituals, and traditions of that religion. In the same spirit, the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji can also be observed according to Sikh religious traditions. However, under the principle of secularism enshrined in the Constitution, the state does not have any official religion so it has no right to promote or interfere in any particular religion by using public funds for religious festivals. The state's responsibility is to ensure the safety and peaceful environment for its citizens during such events. In reality, the state should focus more on fulfilling its duties by allocating funds and attention to providing affordable and quality education, healthcare, employment, electricity, clean water, roads, and a clean environment to its citizens. Therefore, the Punjab Government should refrain from interfering in religious festivals of any faith or from providing grants for religious activities. SUMIT SINGH

Everyone can mark guru’s martydom day

Everyone knows about Guru Teg Bahadur and his ultimate sacrifice. Any community can mark his martyrdom. However, one should not aim for political gains. Moreover, if the Punjab Government is holding an event, SGPC should not have any objection. People will not vote for any political party just because they hold such celebrations; they want to have facilities. Religion is very important but it should not be used for political gains. Balvinder Singh

Govt should be allowed to hold such events

The sacrifice made by Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib is unparalleled. He was safeguarded the violation of human rights and religious freedom. Therefore, the message assumes significance in the present set-up to strengthen the social bonds. When we look back at the period of Akali government, all important Sikh centenaries were celebrated at large scale by the government even during the alliance with the BJP. SGPC has a leading role to play, particularly during such historical celebrations. The apex body is duty bound to ensure that Sikh values are followed, particularly when Punjab Government or any other government takes initiative to organise Sikh events. On the martyrdom day, the right of the Punjab Government cannot be curtailed as other state governments are also organising similar programmes. The conflict as well as martyrdom programs must not be given political colour. Baljinder Singh

Keep religion away from politics

Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his life to protect the right to practise religion. It is good to mark the day, but the purpose of holding the religious event should not be for any political gains or self interests. Unfortunately, in today's scenario it seems that Punjab Government and SGPC both are in a race to get the credit to mark the anniversary, and it is a fact that both the institutions are neither aware or serious about the message of this important day in the history of Punjab. It seems that both of them want to mark the day to exploit the sentiments of the people to get credit. As far as the Punjab Government is concerned, it should distance from spending states money on any kind of religious events because it is a democratic government and can't spend exchequer's money on religious events/ functions. It should rather spend money on the well-being of people. As far as the SGPC is concerned, it should show its sincerity to do something good on the day and open a big hospital in Baba Bakala so that the poor can avail better health facilities at nominal rates. The SGPC should not allow any political party, including SAD, to get the benefit from these kind of event and initiatives. Let the religious function be out of politics. Gurinder Singh Johal

Govt has every right to mark the day

I believe that both the SGPC and the Punjab Government have roles to play, but coordination and not competition is what the occasion demands. Guru Teg Bahadur's 350th martyrdom anniversary is not just a religious event; it is a moment of collective reverence and cultural pride for all Punjabis and Sikhs around the world. While the SGPC, being the premier Sikh religious body, has the traditional and spiritual mandate to conduct religious observances, the Punjab Government, as a democratic institution representing all communities, has every right — and responsibility — to honour such historic figures of national and cultural importance. However, holding separate events sends out a message of division and undermines the spirit of unity that Guru Teg Bahadur's sacrifice stands for. It would be far more meaningful if both entities collaborated to organise a unified, dignified and inclusive commemoration. This would not only reflect respect for the Guru but also set a precedent for harmony between religious and civil institutions. In my view, neither religious identity nor public representation should be used to stake exclusive claims over a legacy that belongs to all. The focus should remain on the values and sacrifices of the Guru, rather than the politics of who hosts the event. Sarabjit Singh

Everybody wants to take credit

It appears that the Punjab Government and the SGPC have political motives and they want to take credit for holding the religions functions. The SGPC is controlled by the Akalis and during their government in Punjab, they held joint programmes with SGPC on religious occasions. Now, the SGPC is opposing the present government's decision to hold such events. Joint functions should be held together.

Sarabjit Singh Verka