As the Badal Dal leadership debunked the Nanakshahi Calendar, Jagmohan Singh -the editor of the World Sikh News wrote an open letter to the then SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar telling him unmistakably that by amending the Nanakshahi Calendar he has committed a grave sin. The present incumbent of SGPC had initiated the efforts for adoption of the Nanakshahi Calendar. It would be interesting to see if he will respond to efforts being made to restore the calendar, particularly after the humiliating Badal Dal defeat at the hustings.

Dear Avtar Singh Ji Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh! So you have done what was fully expected of you. The Nanakshahi calendar is no longer the Nanakshahi calendar or it is Nanakshahi calendar only in name, but has many contents of the retrograde Bikrami calendar, which you will force the Sikhs to follow. Pal Singh Purewal explained it in great detail to you and the Sikh world that if we follow the Bikarami methodology, we would end up defying Gurbani as enshrined in Baramaha Tukhari and Baramaha Maajh in Guru Granth Sahib, for in the years to come the days and months will not be the same as mentioned in these Banis.  

It has been so obvious that you do not care for Gurbani and Guru Granth Sahib. Do you? Actually we, the Sikhs were fools to have expected you to do otherwise. In fact, we are stupid. You have not done anything otherwise in the last five years in SGPC and in the last two decades as a ‘loyal lieutenant’ of the Badal Dal, it was naive of us to have expected a Panthic approach from you.  

I am convinced as most Sikhs are, that the only way to do things otherwise, to get things done in Panthic interest is to get you and all the cronies of your party dislodged from the SGPC in the coming general house elections to the SGPC. What I am not convinced about is the methodology, approach and strategies of those opposed to you. Their intentions are fine, but that is not all. Unfortunately, you also know that.  

The height of your shamelessness was demonstrated in your approach at the SGPC executive committee where you took this decision. You said, “we are here not do discuss what is right and what is wrong with the Nanakshahi calendar; the core group of the party or the party high–command as it is routinely and rightly called, has said that these changes have to be made and so they have to be made, it is a question of party discipline” Loyalty to party and leader, betrayal to God and Guru, isn’t it?

While you revel in your purported ‘achievement’ of having brought the Takhts together on one platform, your party, the Damdami Taksal and you have divided the Sikh nation on an issue which had brought the Sikhs on one platform after a very long time in 2003.  

Importantly, if you think you have brought the two Takhts ‘into the fold’ by altering the calendar, how about completing this mission by ensuring that the two Takhts and the Deras whom you want to pacify or appease for electoral reasons, would also follow the Sikh Rehat Maryada adopted by the Sikh Panth way back in 1945 and which most Sikhs continue to follow to this day! Or should we start fearing that you may think about amending that too!

Last week on the first day of the Common Era New Year, I wrote to you requesting you to enable the Sikhs to remain cheerful throughout the year, but as the turn of events have shown, you had made up your mind long back. Back–stabbing is an art you people have learnt so well, that well–meaning Sikhs still get deceived by you.  

I am amazed at the gems of argument produced by the Badal Dal propaganda machinery –’the new Nanakshahi calendar is meant to bring the Panth together –all organisations who have opposed the SGPC are bogus –the move of the SGPC is to bring the Sant Samaj within the fold of Sikhism (as if it was outside the fold earlier) –if a few days can be celebrated on certain dates, what harm does it cause to the Sikhs –all those are dissenting are agents of the Congress I party’, ad nauseam.

So is it not clear that for you the dictum is clear, “either you are with me or against me”. Dissent is enmity; dissent is being anti–Panthic.   

The manner in which you have roped in the Supreme Temporal Authority –Akal Takht Sahib into the imbroglio created by you and the manner in which the present incumbent, Jathedar Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh Ji has ratified your suggestions has benumbed the Sikhs into silence and the fear of a theocratic build–up within Sikhism which has no religious, historical or traditional sanction.

I am aware that your party and you are preparing to unseat Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh but are ‘waiting for the opportune time and occasion’.

The introduction to the Nanakshahi Calendar published by the SGPC gives the timeline of the calendar in great detail, cites 12 cogent reasons for having the Nanakshahi calendar and the various resolutions of the SGPC passed for adoption of the calendar. To recall, the first resolution was that of the executive committee on 15 January 1998, then a resolution of the general house of the SGPC on 18 March 1998. The Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC passed a resolution on 5 June 2000, urging the Akal Takht Jathedar to resolve the differences pertaining to the Nanakshahi calendar. After innumerable meetings, twists and turns, the Nanakshahi Calendar was adopted on 28 March 2003 under the auspices of Akal Takht Sahib and the Jathedar wrote to the SGPC saying among other things, “…..The Nanakshahi calendar has been adopted in the meeting of 28 March 2003…..” After this letter was presented before the general house of the SGPC on 29 March 2003 by Prof. Kirpal Singh Bandugar, amidst chants of Jaikaras, the Nanakshahi Calendar was unanimously adopted.  

A host of Panthic scholars, activists, writers and devout Sikhs contributed their thoughts and arguments, for and against, after which the calendar was adopted, starting a new era of the Sikh almanac.

A whole array of religio–political bodies from Punjab, Mumbai, Delhi, USA, UK, Canada and Europe had appealed to your good sense not to push Sikhs into the Brahmanical fold from which Guru Nanak and successor Gurus had so effectively removed us from and the Nanakshahi Calendar is a classic result of their unique contribution. You have rubbished them all.

Pal Singh Purewal –the pioneer of the calendar had succinctly pointed out that more than 95 percent of the community had started using the Nanakshahi calendar and that it would not be wise to make any changes. You have mercilessly cheated him, even his plea for a hearing before making the current changes was not responded to.  

It has been barely 6 years and we have not yet even basked in the glory of the calendar which brought respite to the identity question and the very being of Sikhs –badly brutalised in June and November 1984.

As I write to you I worry about how the 77 year old Pal Singh Purewal –the chief architect of the calendar must be feeling. I have reason to believe that he is having sleepless nights. You have hurt him. You have taken his work and twisted it topsy-turvy. This is what the SGPC did to Prof. Gurmukh Singh, to Justice Harbans Singh –the chief architect of the All India Gurdwara Act, to Sirdar Kapur Singh-whose draft of the White Paper against the neo-Nirankaris was also changed by the SGPC.

Your spinelessness has been demonstrated once again. The difficulty is that you have harmed the spine of the Sikh nation. I am not sure how much time it will take, but am pretty certain that it will take years before the clock can be reversed –for the community, as for you, you have committed a grave sin and treachery with the House of Guru Nanak. Still, Rab Rakha.

Jagmohan Singh

Jagmohan Singh is editor of The World Sikh News. He may be contacted at theworldsikhnews@gmail.com