M A I N   N E W S

India may be theme track for Vengaboys

New Delhi, March 12
Taking cue from their famous party song “To Brazil” that promoted the Latin American country as a favourite tourist destination, pop band Vengaboys are contemplating penning a song on India.

Though the visiting party animals, as the pop band is known, frivolously stated this to newspersons before their much-hyped live concert at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium here tonight, they later admitted with candour that “they would think about dedicating a song to the partying crowd in India”.

The Vengaboys, which sold one million units of their album “The Party Album” in India, said: “We will talk to our group leaders Danski and Delmundo about writing a song on India. Ultimately, they will decide about it. People in this country love anything and everything related to dance and parties. So we would love to do it for them.”

Actually pronounced as Benga in Spanish, the band is called the Vengaboys in English.

The Vengaboys hit the scene with their chartbuster “We Like To Party”.

Today’s concert is being organised by Pepsi Foods. UNI

Puran Singh may not attend meeting 
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 12
After the controversial appointment of Giani Puran Singh as Head Granthi of the Golden Temple in December last year, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has kicked off a fresh controversy with the appointment of two priests of the Golden Temple without any ‘religious test’.

Till Operation Bluestar, the appointments of priests of the Golden Temple were made on the basis of a set procedure which was virtually ‘bypassed’ with these fresh appointments. Even the Jathedar Akal Takht, who installed the priests of the Golden Temple at a religious function, was not taken into confidence before making the appointments.

The sources said that as part of the set procedure the recommendations from various Singh Sabhas used to be sought by the SGPC for appointment of the priests of the Golden Temple. After scrutinising the recommendations, candidates would appear before the board on religious affairs constituted by the Jathedar, Akal Takht, the Head Granthi, Golden Temple, Jathedars of Kesgarh Sahib. A written test would take place on behalf of the SGPC before appointment of priests of the Golden Temple was made.

However, in case of the two appointments of Bhai Jaswinder Singh and Bhai Jagtar Singh as granthis of the Golden Temple, the SGPC executive ignored every procedure. They would be installed as granthis on March 15.

The posts of granthi of the Golden Temple are considered important as they are considered high priests who are entitled to attend meetings of Akal Takht. Only the priests of the Golden Temple can enter the sanctum sanctorum.

Meanwhile, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, president and other members of the SGPC executive, would not attend the joint meeting with high priests tomorrow. This was the first joint meeting ever called by a Jathedar of Akal Takht. Though it was reportedly a tactical move on part of high priests to embarrass Giani Puran Singh, Head Granthi, Golden Temple, by calling a joint meeting with the SGPC executive as he (Giani Puran Singh) had been absenting himself from attending the meetings at Akal Takht. However, sources said that the step of Jathedar, Akal Takht, to hold a joint meeting, taken without taking Mr Talwandi into confidence was not liked by the SGPC members. However, Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, General Secretary, SGPC, said that the joint meeting of high priests and SGPC executive might take place on March 22.

The sources close to Giani Puran Singh said that he was unlikely to participate in the meeting of high priests, scheduled to be held tomorrow morning. Giani Puran Singh had categorically told Mr Talwandi that he could not sit with Prof Manjit Singh, Giani Kewal Singh — both Jathedars of Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib and Giani Bhagwan Singh, Head Granthi, Akal Takht, who were ‘excommunicated’ from the Sikh panth through a controversial ‘hukamnama’ issued when he was Jathedar, Akal Takht. All attempts made by Akal Takht and other high priests to ensure participation of Giani Puran Singh in the meetings of Akal Takht had failed to yield any result so far.

Giani Puran Singh had reportedly asked the SGPC executive that if the high priests had already held meetings in his absence there was no hitch in holding future meetings now. It may be recalled that the high priests themselves had stated that the meeting could not be held at Akal Takht without participation of the Head Granthi, Golden Temple. However, in a volte face, the meeting was held on February 27 without presence of Giani Puran Singh.