Gurpurb date: Mumbai gurdwaras' body to meet

The recent decision by the Sikh clergy in Amritsar to celebrate the upcoming Gurpurb of Guru Gobind Singh on January 7, 2015, instead of the earlier scheduled date of December 28, 2014, has caused confusion among local gurdwaras.

The recent decision by the Sikh clergy in Amritsar to celebrate the upcoming Gurpurb of Guru Gobind Singh on January 7, 2015, instead of the earlier scheduled date of December 28, 2014, has caused confusion among local gurdwaras.

Citing that the decision was taken by the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, as the original date clashed with the commemoration of the martyrdom of the four Sahibzadas, the clergy had added that those who wished could celebrate Gurpurb on December 28 too.

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Guru Singh Sabha, the central body of city gurdwaras, will hold a meeting on Saturday to resolve the issue. "We have invited pardhans of more than 50 gurdwaras in Mumbai to discuss and decide on the date," said Kulwant Singh, vide-president of the sabha.

Saying that the sabha strictly abides by the Takht's decisions, Kulwant said he had been flooded with queries since the announcement of the date by the clergy recently.
December 28 was according to the Bikrami calendar, while the new date has been decided according to the amended Nanakshahi calendar.

Calendar row

Speaking on the Nanakshahi calendar row, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said in Patiala district on Friday: "The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has nothing to do with it. It is the prerogative of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The state government won't interfere in it."