Dear Editor, I have read the letters published in World Sikh News by Kuldeep Singh, Dr. Joginder Singh Ahluwalia, and Jasbir Kaur Sahota. Kuldeep Singh in his letter mentioned many questions which were asked to Gurinder Singh Mann by the Sangat in Cleveland Gurdwara. Neither Dr. Ahluwalia nor Mrs. Sahota clarified in their letters the response De. Mann gave to the questions raised by the Sangat. It appears that both Dr. Ahluwalia and Mrs. Sahota are praising Gurinder Singh Manr without full knowledge of the facts which can be damaging for the Sikh Nation; the funds which are being collected should be used for the right cause rather than to support the follower of Hew McLeod. I will appreciate if Dr. Ahluwalia or Dr. Mann publishes the answers to the following questions which are crucial to the Sikh Panth:

  1. As Dr. Mann said in his speech that there are no surprises in his thesis and that he has nothing to hide, then why has he opted to seal his thesis for two years?
  2. In reply to the questions on the contents of the thesis, Dr. Mann replied that they should hear the review of his thesis, Dr. Bhumbra, to whom he has given the thesis to read. Is Mr. Bhumbra a scholar of Sikh Studies? Why was the thesis not given to Dr. Balkar Singh, Head of Sri Guru Granth Studies at Punjabi University Patiala and Dr. Darshan Singh, Head of Sikh Studies at Punjab University, Chandigarh, when they both met him in New York in July, 1994 and asked for it for an academic Review?
  3. In his book “Studying the Sikhs,” in the chapter on “Teaching the Sikh Tradition,” Dr. Mann questions the continuation of Gumuship by using these words: “Why was the Guruship discontinued?” whereas the historical evidence makes it absolutely clear that the Guruship was transferred to Sri Gum Granth Sahib by Gur Gobind Singh Ji himself, and that there was no “Vacuum” caused as the author claims. Do the Sikhs or Dr. Ahluwalia wish to believe that the great Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not assign the Guruship to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? Gurdas Singh Dass.

 

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 23, 1994