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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: 9th Guru's martyrdom: DSGMC calls for joint commemoration with SGPC
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Saturday called for a united effort with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka In a letter addressed to SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka said the commemoration functions should be held jointly, reflecting the spirit of Panthic unity and honouring Guru Teg Bahadur's supreme sacrifice. 'Guru Teg Bahadur was martyred in Delhi for protection and religious freedom of Hindu religion. There are reports of separate events being planned by the DSGMC and the SGPC. Such a fragmented approach is not befitting the legacy of Guru Sahib,' Kalka stated in his letter. He reminded the SGPC of the past collective efforts that united the Sikh community — the 300th anniversary of Khalsa Foundation Day at Takht Keshgarh Sahib (Anandpur Sahib) in 1999, the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Dev, the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019 at Sultanpur Lodhi and the tercentenary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib at Takht Hazur Sahib, Nanded, in 2008. Kalka also requested that the commemoration include remembrance of Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dyala Ji, who were martyred alongside Guru Tegh Bahadur.
The Print
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th martyrdom day: Delhi govt to organise 3-day grand event at Red Fort
The meeting was attended by Cabinet ministers Kapil Mishra and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, prominent Sikh leaders, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee members, and religious scholars, said an official statement. New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Delhi government will organise a three-day grand event at the Red Fort starting November 25 to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur. The commemoration event will include a 'light and sound' show, kirtan darbar, langar, an immersive museum, and a globally accessible app and virtual reality (VR) experience especially for students, officials said on Wednesday. 'This is Delhi's collective tribute to one of the greatest sacrifices in human history. Our aim is not just to remember, but to take Guru Sahib's message to every home, every school and every generation,' Gupta said. The chief minister said that the three-day commemoration at the Red Fort — where the Guru attained martyrdom — would be the largest such event in the country and would bring together people of all faiths to honour the Guru's supreme sacrifice for religious freedom. Delhi's Environment Minister and Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who is spearheading the event's coordination, said the city would witness 'such a large-scale, immersive tribute to Guru Sahib' for the first time. 'We are organising a light and sound show at Red Fort, which will be based entirely on Sikh history and the life and teachings of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji,' he added. He announced a VR experience for students, a museum showcasing rare manuscripts, and an app-based participation model for global devotees. 'The government has also decided to dedicate the Miyawaki forest coming up in Jaunapur to Guru Sahib,' he added. Culture Minister Kapil Mishra said, 'This event is Delhi's duty — a long-overdue homage to Guru Sahib's message of unity, courage and righteousness.' Mishra also announced the revamp of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial, where a daily light and sound show will be launched, and revealed that the government is exploring a location to build a study and research centre on Sikh history. 'Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who has always worked to bring Sikh history and valour to the global stage — and under the effective guidance of our CM Rekha Gupta, this event marks a new chapter in cultural responsibility,' Mishra said. The key features of the event include illumination of gurdwaras and citywide kirtan darbar, audio-visual presentations on the legacy of Sikh Gurus and a commemorative coffee-table book on Guru Tegh Bahadur's life, the statement said. The Delhi government will also roll out year-long cultural programmes across schools, colleges, and community centres to educate the youth about Guru Sahib's legacy, it added. PTI SLB KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi cabinet approves annual tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur
New Delhi: The Delhi cabinet has approved a proposal for commemorating the 350th Shaheedi Parab (martyrdom day) of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Red Fort. The event will feature a light and sound show, Kirtan Darbar, panel discussions, a paintings exhibition, archival displays and multilingual translations of the Guru's teachings every year. The cabinet also cleared a proposal for a Miyawaki forest being developed in Jainpur, Delhi, to be dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur. Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said: "Delhi is honouring Sikh heritage with pride and permanence. I thank CM Rekha Gupta and my cabinet colleagues for approving this historic tribute." You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi According to the plan, there will be a two-day celebration in Nov at Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk — the very site where Guru Sahib attained martyrdom while upholding the right to religious freedom, said the govt in a statement. Sirsa said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently brought Sikh history, sacrifice and valour to the forefront on the national and global stage. Under the effective guidance of CM Gupta, this celebration is a historic recognition of Delhi's deep-rooted connection with Sikhism. " He mentioned that Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom is not just a part of Sikh history. It is a message of freedom, tolerance and justice for all of humanity. He also noted that the Miyawaki forest will be dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur as a living tribute to his values, sacrifice and the Sikh community's ongoing commitment to nature and service, Sirsa added. "The two-day event at Lal Qila will be historic. Not only will Delhi pay tribute at the very site of Guru Sahib's martyrdom, but we will also make his teachings accessible to every citizen through culture, art and education. Public readings and translations of his bani will help connect people from all backgrounds to his universal message," Sirsa said. Govt also announced that Delhi University has introduced an undergraduate course titled "Sikh Martyrdom in Indian History". This move is seen as a significant academic step in recognising the Sikh community's role in defending justice, freedom and human dignity. Earlier in June, Sirsa chaired a meeting with senior Sikh leaders and members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to seek ideas for the martyrdom day commemoration. The demand for an academic course on Sikh history emerged during that consultation. "During the June meeting, several important ideas were shared, including the need for a university-level course to institutionalise the teachings of Sikh Gurus. Today, I am proud to share that Delhi University's academic council has adopted that very vision. This is the strength of inclusive governance," Sirsa said. Additionally, Delhi govt will organise exhibitions of paintings, archival documents, and special programmes throughout the year in schools, colleges, and community spaces. Competitions, lectures, and outreach initiatives will be conducted to educate the youth about Guru Tegh Bahadur's legacy and strengthen their connection with Delhi's rich historical and cultural roots, he said.
India Today
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Maturity over mob logic: What's behind BJP's surprise defence of Diljit Dosanjh?
As boycott calls against singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh swirled across social media, few expected the BJP to come out in his defence. After all, it wasn't Opposition parties or liberal commentators attacking the global Punjabi superstar—it was his own (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), the influential film workers' body, had condemned Dosanjh. Singer Mika Singh had called him a 'fake singer' while singer B Praak implied that Dosanjh had sold his conscience. And in perhaps the most telling sign of discomfort, his Sardaar Ji 3 co-star, Canadian-Punjabi actor Neeru Bajwa, unfollowed Pakistani actress Hania Aamir and deleted all promotional posts related to the this atmosphere of cultural policing, the BJP Punjab unit's decision to hold a press conference in Chandigarh defending Dosanjh surprised many—and revealed far more than it spark for the backlash was Sardaar Ji 3, a film shot largely in the UK before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir that had prompted a strong military and diplomatic response from India against Pakistan. The film, which cast Dosanjh opposite Hania, who was making her Punjabi film debut, was released overseas but withheld from Indian cinemas. Yet that gesture did little to calm tempers. The optics of a major Indian celebrity working alongside a Pakistani actress during a period of heightened military and political tensions with Islamabad became too much for a section of the Indian public, and outrage quickly spilled into calls for Dosanjh's citizenship to be Hania made provoking statements against India. Subsequently, the Instagram handles of Haina, Mahira Khan, Iqra Aziz, Ayeza Khan and several other Pakistani celebrities were blocked in India. The makers of the film also faced followed was a rare moment in Indian cultural politics. Instead of letting the storm fester or joining the chorus of condemnation, BJP Sikh leaders in Delhi, such as R.P. Singh and others, along with former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Manjit Singh GK, stepped forward to shield Dosanjh from the crossfire. 'Diljit is a global ambassador of Indian culture. The shooting for Sardaar Ji 3 took place before the Pahalgam attack. The call to cancel his citizenship is not only irrational but also politically motivated,' said R.P. Singh, senior BJP leader in Delhi and a party Singh GK went further, calling it a conspiracy to defame a successful Punjabi artiste. 'Just because some Pakistani artistes are promoting the film doesn't mean Diljit endorses them or their ideology,' he explains this unexpected intervention? First, Dosanjh occupies a unique space in India's cultural landscape. He's a Sikh icon with no separatist baggage, a global star whose reach extends from Chandigarh to California, and an artiste who has carefully maintained a line between activism and politics. For a BJP that is still trying to recover ground in Punjab after the bruising farmers' protests, attacking someone like Dosanjh would have risked deepening its disconnect with the state's moderate and urban Sikh middle the party seemed to sense that this was not a spontaneous outcry from the public but a backlash orchestrated by insiders in the entertainment ecosystem, driven perhaps by professional rivalry, politics of relevance, along with emotions nationalism. That many of the attacks came from prominent Punjabi voices—including Mika and B Praak—gave the controversy an emotional punch, but it also made the BJP's job of taking on the Pakistani actress for her anti-India remarks, the social media attack drifted towards Dosanjh. By positioning itself above the fray, the BJP could present itself as the adult in the room—measured, balanced and unwilling to throw an Indian artiste under the bus simply for calculation was especially important because the film itself had become a political football overseas. Pakistani actors, YouTubers, and diaspora-run Punjabi media portals based in Canada and the UK were openly promoting Sardaar Ji 3, even as it stayed off Indian screens. Pakistani authorities allowed the movie to be released there; reports suggest the film has done business to the tune of $500,000 (Rs 4.28 crore). For some in India, this added fuel to the theory that the film had become a tool of soft Pakistan imposed a formal ban on Indian films in 2016, Punjabi-language cinema had quietly found a way in, particularly through 'unofficial' screenings in cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. Some recent reports reveal how, despite the ban, Indian Punjabi films continued to be screened in theatres across the border to full houses, albeit under the booked under neutral category codes to avoid scrutiny, with Pakistani agencies deliberately looking the other way, these screenings gave Punjabi producers access to Pakistan's large Punjabi-speaking markets—without any accountability regarding content control or revenue flow. Incidentally, when film producers across India had stopped featuring Pakistani collaborators after the 2016 Uri attack, the Punjabi fraternity didn't, and eventually landed up in this soothe tempers in India, Sardaar Ji 3 co-producer Gunbir Singh Sidhu has announced that he will not collaborate with Pakistani artistes in future. He also criticised Hania's comment on India's Operation BJP leaders have been careful not to conflate the promotional buzz with intent. 'We all oppose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, but you cannot target an artiste based on assumptions about intent. The context matters,' said Hobby Dhaliwal, a BJP leader in Punjab and Punjabi actor backing broadly, the BJP's handling of the episode reflects a deeper shift in how the party is choosing to define nationalism in the cultural space. Unlike the zero-tolerance, hyper-nationalist tone that marked earlier debates around Pakistani artistes—especially after the 2016 Uri terror attack—the current response was more was no defence of Pakistan, no minimisation of its role in recent terror attacks, but there was also no attempt to punish an Indian artiste retroactively for a film shot in different geopolitical conditions. The message was clear: the state's ire is reserved for Pakistan the government and its terror proxies, not for every interaction across the border that pre-dated the current a time when Punjab's political climate remains fragile—marked by economic distress, identity flux and diaspora-fuelled polarisation—the BJP appears to have made a conscious choice to back a figure seen as part of the cultural mainstream. Dosanjh's appeal cuts across class and generation; he is as comfortable performing at, say, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as he is at a village fair in Ludhiana. For the BJP, embracing such a figure offers a chance to project cultural openness without losing its nationalistic BJP leaders explain that defending Dosanjh was not just about protecting an individual artiste. It was about reclaiming the narrative from both ultra-nationalist zeal and self-defeating industry politics. The BJP's decision signals that nationalism need not always come with cancel culture attached—that in a complex, plural society, even global icons who occasionally share screen space with actors from across the border deserve the benefit of strategic silence may be misread as complicity, but a thoughtful defence can project strength. By standing with Diljit Dosanjh, the BJP made a calculated move of choosing strategy over sentiment and maturity over mob to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
The Print
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Delhi govt to renovate Guru Tegh Bahadur's memorial, hold light and sound shows
The light and sound show at the memorial is expected to begin in the month of November when the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, is observed, it said. The announcement was made following a consultative meeting chaired by Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa with prominent community leaders and members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), according to a statement. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) The Delhi government plans to honour the legacy of Guru Tegh Bahadur with series of cultural and educational initiatives, which will include a daily light and sound show and the renovation of his memorial near the Singhu Border here. 'Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's sacrifice is a global symbol of the right to freedom of thought and belief. Our tribute will go beyond one day or one event. We are working on initiatives that preserve and promote his legacy for generations,' said Mishra. Sirsa, who also addressed the meeting, said Delhi has a deep historical and emotional connection with Guru Tegh Bahadur's legacy. 'We will work with schools, colleges and cultural institutions to ensure that our youth learn about his life and message,' he said. The ministers said the government also plans to establish a Centre for Martyrdom Studies and launch an annual Punjabi Literature and Cultural Festival. According to the statement, several proposals are currently under consideration, including academic programmes and public outreach initiatives to raise awareness about the significant historical sites related to Guru Tegh Bahadur, such as Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. PTI SHB RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
