Kerala school kids enact play on Guru’s sons, SGPC fumes
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned the physical imitation of the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh -- Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh -- in a programme held at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Payyanur, Kerala, as a part of the Centre's Veer Bal Diwas initiative.
The SGPC stated that physically imitating the Sahibzadas was considered highly objectionable to the Sikh community and was strictly prohibited as per Sikh tenets and principles.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said, "Although Payyanur Kendriya Vidyalaya has removed objectionable photos from its social media platforms after the SGPC expressed its objection, the Centre needs to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents."
Dhami asked the government, ministries of education, culture, and women and child development and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to order schools, colleges and educational institutions to hold events in the light of Sikh principles only.
He said the name Veer Bal Diwas, which had been given by the Centre to the martyrdom day of the Sahibzadas, had not been accepted by the Akal Takht, SGPC and other major Sikh institutions.
"The Centre should approve the name 'Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas' recommended by the SGPC and issue a revised gazette notification in this regard. According to the Sikh principles, the Sahibzadas achieved unparalleled martyrdom with bravery at a young age, therefore the Sikh community respects them with the term 'Baba' and the government should also move forward with this spirit," he said.
