Following the edict of the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is all set to ensure that the Nishan Sahib flags, hoisted on the premises of gurdwaras, carry either surmai (navy blue) or basanti (a shade of yellow) colours.
During a meeting of Panj Singh Sahiban (Sikh clergy) on July 15 at the highest Sikh temporal seat, a resolution was passed amid confusion over the colours of the Nishan Sahib flag. People familiar with the development said the SGPC was directed to end this confusion in light of Panth Parwanit Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of conduct approved by the community).
In compliance with the decree, the SGPC’s Dharam Parchar Committee issued a circular, a copy of which is available with the HT, to the Sikh preachers to create awareness among the sangat and gurdwara managements about the Sikh Rehat Maryada. According to information, the process of restoring the original colours in the SGPC-managed gurdwaras will be initiated soon.
An official of the Akal Takht secretariat said, “The Akal Takht Sahib has written to the SGPC in this regard.” SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami and chief secretary Partap Singh were not available over phone for their comments.
{{/usCountry}}An official of the Akal Takht secretariat said, “The Akal Takht Sahib has written to the SGPC in this regard.” SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami and chief secretary Partap Singh were not available over phone for their comments.
{{/usCountry}}Currently, the Nishan Sahib is seen mostly in kesri (saffron) colour. While most of the gurdwaras have kesri-coloured Nishan Sahib, the gurdwaras managed by Nihang groups and their chhavnis (cantonments) have it in surmai colour. The twin Nishan Sahib flags, which symbolise the concept of Miri-Piri (a Sikh concept which means religion and politics go together) and are hoisted at Jhanda Bunga Sahib gurdwara near the Akal Takht in Golden Temple complex, also have saffron colour.
A section of the Sikh community has been asserting for a long time that the existing colour is not the original one of Khalsa (core section of Sikh community) and it should be replaced with the ones mentioned in the maryada. “The saffron colour is a violation of maryada,” said Charanjit Singh Gumtala, an Amritsar-based activist who once wrote a letter to the SGPC.
Waryam Singh, a Sikh scholar and former SGPC secretary, said, “The colour of Nishan Sahib was yellow earlier. We can’t say when it was changed. In the early 1980s, the shade turned darker and it became kesri gradually. The present colour is similar to bhagwa that relates to Hinduism.”