LUDHIANA: The acting jathedar of Akal Takht Manjit Singh who first slopped Commenting on political affairs Of the Sikhs and activities of the Akali Dal has now resolved to stay num even on religious and academic affairs of the community.
Apparently the reason for his indifference is that the very persons show first sought his help and intervention to settle a controversy later retracted and started questioning his bonafides in undertaking such role when his Judgement did not suit them When this correspondent met the jathedar in Model Town here last week he looked shocked and disillusioned at the way the community which he was meant to guide behaved with him in recent weeks
He refused to be drawn into any controversy whether it pertained to the gurdwara Gurgi in Parkash at Jawadi Kalam the row about the holding or cancellation of the proposed global Sikh summit there in October next the controversy surrounding an article published in Vismadnad journal by Amarjit Singh Grewal Guru Gobind Singh study circle which had lodged a complaint with him about the write-up or the role of various Sikh scholars in the sordid drama.
What seemed to cause him the maximum anguish was the recent episode involving the Jawadi gurdwara whose authorities first sought his patronage in holding the summit made him chairman of the governing council and lates went to the extent of naming him chairman of the trust to be formed to administer the gurdwara and various institutions functioning under it.
According to sources close to the Jathedar the decision to form the trust was taken at a meeting he held with the governing council on May 17 nights. The next morning Jasbir Kaur the second person in the gurdwara management gave it in writing to the jathedar in the presence of Grewal and it was released to media persons on the spot
However the next day the gurdwara authorities denied the decision and expressed concern at the Akal Takhts move to take control of the gurdwara when they came across the item in the nows= papers. According to sources Manjit Singh was very upset at the manner Sikh leaders and scholars were rushing to him with complaints instead of playing any role themselves to settle their problems at the lower levels Equally worrying for him was that even before their complaints reached the Akal Takht the copies were released to the press and became to know of them from newspapers.
For instance the letter written by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to him last month about Akali unity was released to the pass days ahead of the letter being actually delivered to him with the result that by the time he read it even reactions of the people had already appeared in print.
Similarly Sucha Singh of gurdwara Gurgian Parkash sent him a six-page letter on May 19 in the evening about cancellation of Sikh summit etc but it had already been distributed to media persons here at 4pm. The Guru Gobind Singh study circle which lodged a complaint with him about Grewal’s write-upon the relevance of the Guru Granth Sahib in the 21st Century on May 17 had already aimed its views through & Punjab daily a couple of days earlier.
This tendency among the Sikhs to rush to the press indicated that they had more faith in newspapers than in the Akal Takht the aid remarked adding that the supreme faith must be kept at a higher pedestal to enable to play the envisaged role
The young educated jathedar seems to be keen that Sikhs settle their controversies and disputes through negotiations and debate since this would be in accordance with the practice of goshtis followed by the Sikh gurus He is concemed that they have been turning the Akal Takht into some sort of complaint box.
That is why when the study circle brought its complaint to him he asked them if Grewal could write 2 100-page article why could write not write at least 10 pages to counter views or organize an open seminar to lay what was so objectionable in it
The jathedar sources revealed was pained at the petty politics indulged in some Sikh scholars to settle their personal scores.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 3, 1994
