Dear Sir, Recent WSN correspondents have advocated for the appointees of SGPC a religio political body of Punjab, as de facto and preeminent mir & pir of Sikhs, However, the Sikhs have, after the living Gurus, acknowledged their religious cum secular authority resident only in the Guru Granth Sahib, Sangat or Punj piare.
The SGPC does have laudable credits; but freedom from extraneous influences is not among them. Therefore, suggested elevation of granthis or keertanias known political pawns and notoriously lacking piety and scholarship, to the stature of mir & pir of Sikhs, is preposterous to say the least. Prestige of Akal Takht or respect for individuals must be recognized, however.
The ever pliable SGPC an archaic product of times past, thrives in Punjabi environment, generates entertaining spectacles, and is ideal for promoting partisan agendas. Imagine an Akal Takht jathedar presiding over an emotionally charged Sikh assembly “deliberating” such alleged threats as: Panth khatre men hai or “ji ohnen guruan noon gallan kadian nen”. Some fool or mai da lal might dissent, but the wise posture of “discretion is a better part of valor” will mostly prevail. Now guess the verdict!
Expedient arguments can be made that lacking a central authority; all Sikhs should have an appointee or functionary of SGPC act as their ad hoc mir & pir. But vesting of this authority in SGPC will be a bad precedence: Its decision making is subject to vagaries of Punjabi politics and Indian mechanizations, and may not be in the interest of Sikhs every time.
The Sikhs must devise better mechanisms to confront the. Contemporary and long term issues faced by their communities worldwide. With continuing hegemony of SGPC or its appointees over Akal Takhat, [shudder to contemplate a future scenario: Pope like Hukamnamas complete with a thumb print, issuing forth from granthi Shriman Sant Phalana Singh Sahib Ji Maharaj Danganwale pretending to rule over Sikhs from a Vatican like Amritsar!
Dr.Sukhbir Singh Indianapolis, IN Editor’s Note: World Sikh News has not “advocated” for any particular position, we have “‘reported” what various correspondents have ascertained from their sources, here and abroad.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 20, 1993
