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New calendar divides Khalsa panth

Neena Chaudhary in Chandigarh

The Khalsa panth is in the throes of a raging controversy over adoption of a new calendar based on solar movements. The controversy has divided the community vertically and the two faction have, in fact, begun celebrating important festivals on different dates.

On one side of the divide is the jathedar of the Akal Takht, the supreme religio-temporal seat of the community, and on the other is the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which manages the affairs of important Sikh shrines in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union territory of Chandigarh.

In a recent decree the Akal Takht jathedar, Giani Puran Singh, ex-ocommunicated the SGPC president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, for supporting the implementation of the new calendar called the 'Nanakshahi' calender, authored by a Canada-based Sikh scholar, Pal Singh Purewal.

For years Sikhs all over the world have used the Bikrami Samvat calendar, based on lunar movements, to determine dates for their festivals.

Purewal and his supporters, however, claim that the 'Nanakshahi' calendar is more scientific and thus accurate in arriving at crucial dates.

The controversy has created a lot of confusion in the community. For instance, scholars this year came out with three dates for the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru - Guru Gobind Singh. While the SGPC celebrated the occasion on January 5, the Akal Takht repeated the rituals on January 14.

The Punjab government playing safe declared holidays on both the days.

Purewal's calendar begins in 1469, the year of Guru Nanak's birth. According to him the Bikrami calendar lacked accuracy when compared to the Common Era (CE). While the CE has an error margin of only 26 seconds, it is 20 minutes in the case of the Bikrami calendar.

Purewal has also attempted to base his calendar on the traditional bara maha concept mentioned in the holy Guru Granth Sahib and has named the months accordingly. The calendar begins in the month of Chet, which means that March 14 would be its first day.

Purewal's efforts, however, have come in for flak from various quarters. The Secretary General of the World Sikh Intellectual Council, Lt Col S S Nishan, who has 32 years of experience working with the Survey of India, argued that a solar calendar has never been accepted by any religion.

He has rejected Purewal's calendar on the basis of mathematical calculations arguing that the base year has not been fixed accurately. He says that instead of using 1469 as the base year, 1999 has been used to arrive at important dates. He has also objected to the names of certain months, which according to him are not in accordance with the 'bara maha' concept.

The chief of a section of the Sant Samaj (conglomeration of seminaries) Baba Kashmira Singh, while airing his opposition to the new calendar has charged that it would divide Sikhs and Hindus. Under Purewal's calendar, the Sikhs and Hindus would end up celebrating Holi and Diwali on different dates.

The celebration of the only Sikh festival, which has been granted the status of a national festival, Hola Mohalla, too would be no longer be linked to Holi.

The chronology

** World Sikh Conference decides in 1996 to consider a proposal for introduction of the new calendar. ** SGPC decides to adopt the news calendar after prolonged discussion with experts. ** With Sikh religious bodies raising objections, the then Akal Takhat Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh stays its adoption.

** On November 4, 1999 Jathedar Giani Puran Singh bans the new calendar.

** SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, however, defies the ban.

** As different sections of the community celebrate Guru Nanak Dev's birth on different dates, an alarmed jathedar summons a meeting of five Sikh head priests on December 23, 1999.

** With sharp differences emerging at the meeting, it is decided to constitute a seven-member panel to find a solution. The adoption of the new calendar is put on hold till a decision is arrived at.

** SGPC, led by Bibi Jagir Kaur, celebrates Guru Gobind Singh's birth on January 5 as per the new calendar.

** As the stand-off between the Akal Takht and the SGPC continues, the head priests call for continuation of the old calendar till a final decision is arrived at.

** The seven-member committee proposes to introduce a new calendar, which is presented by the media as a rejection of the Nanakshahi calendar.

** Three members of the panel, including Pal Singh Purewal quit. Akal Takhat jathedar refuses to accept their resignations.

** The committee on January 6 decides to reject the Nanakshahi calendar.

** Another attempt is made to resolve the crisis on January 16 by constituting an eleven-member panel headed by renowned Sikh scholar, Dr Kharak Singh.

** The formation of this panel is objected to by the Sant Samaj headed by Baba Kashmira Singh, who had been opposing the calendar and resents being left out of the new panel.

** After an article by Dr Kharak Singh appears in a leading English daily, supporter of the solar almanac, particularly the Sant Samaj, seek his removal from the panel.

**As the SGPC chief and Dr Kharak Singh try to mollify the Sant Samaj, two members quit the panel.

** Jathedar of the Akal Takht, on his own, decides to restrain the committee from functioning.

** The SGPC terms this action of the jathedar as illegal.

** On January 25 the jathedar faxes his directive ex-communicating Bibi Jagir Kaur to various newspapers.

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