M A I L B A G

Mixing politics with Parkash Utsav is bad

Apropos of the editorial "President's gesture" (Sept 2), it is doubtful whether this message has gone home. The edit is of immense value for those who were only motivated to celebrate the 400 Sala Parkash Divas Day of Sri Guru Granth Sahib to propagate the message contained in it for humanity. But sadly, Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh presented a picture of disunity. Even the presence of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam did not help matters. Having sensed the mood, Mr Kalam took the initiative and made them shake their hands.

The Sikh intellectuals should take the responsibility of educating the Sikh masses on the harmful effect of politics in religion. Political leaders, on their part, should conduct themselves responsibly and gracefully to uphold the image of their Gurus.

Lt-Col MANOHAR SINGH (retd), Chandigarh

II

Kuldip Nayar's article on Guru Granth Sahib (Sept 1) is enlightening. We should reflect upon its timeless message of love and brotherhood. Political misinterpretation of the sacred book will only take the masses further away from the original teachings of the Sikh Gurus who preached goodwill towards all and made supreme sacrifices for the sake of truth and righteousness.

Sadly, politics dominated the 400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib just as it had the tercentenary of the Panth in 1999. Back in 1999, I remember watching a documentary on Sikhism, made on the occasion of the tercentenary that recorded the history of Sikhism from its inception to present times. When tracing the history of the faith to present times, the documentary, which obviously reflected the ideology of the then ruling party, showed the Akalis to be the bearers of the legacy of the Panth.

Hopefully, the spirit of the sacred Granth will now lead us to recognise the fact that every individual who upholds the tenets of peace, brotherhood and the pursuit of righteousness is the true bearer of the legacy of the Panth and the Guru Granth Sahib. It is not the prerogative of a political party alone to stake a claim on that legacy.

SIMRITA DHIR, California

III

Amritsar was spruced up and well decorated for the Parkash Utsav. The civil administration and the police performed their duties well. Food and water were available in abundance everywhere. But, unfortunately, there was a naked show of interference and monopoly by a political party. With a firm grip over the SGPC, Mr Badal reduced its members to the status of non-entities.

At a function in New Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister climbed up the stage with the Prime Minister but was told to sit back. He soon outsmarted them when he called upon the PPCC chief to read out a message from Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to the chagrin of the Akalis. The absence of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann and the Sikh intelligentsia, the shining symbols of Khalsa, was felt very badly.

Anyway, I bow my head with reverence to millions of devotees and thousands of volunteers and selfless Sewadars who made this mega event a memorable experience.

LAKHBIR SINGH KAHLON, Amritsar

IV

I view Gurbani as a code of conduct for the entire mankind; the quadricentennial celebrations of Guru Granth Sahib should have amplified this view. Unfortunately, however, the dominant Sikh political and religious leadership of today is the one about whom Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has very rightly said:

Galin usy changian? Acharian burian

Manno kussudon kalian baharon chitwian

(We are good in our speech but very bad in our conduct). In other words, it implies that though we are black within our hearts, we look white from outside. The sad part of the whole episode is that the sane advice of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to "transcend the limitations of our narrow self-interest and think of the collective good of society" was not followed.

Prof S.S. GILL, Batala

V

The Shiromani Akali Dal is the most generous and humanistic organisation in the world. It has a grand history of making great sacrifices for the honour of Sikh religion, freedom of India and interests of Punjab. Its activities and struggles had been strictly limited to defending their rights. It has never harmed any community in Punjab. The party has made great contribution in the development of Punjab and Punjabi language.

The whole world has seen that they have obtained the cooperation and participation of all the main communities and religions in the quadri-centennial celebrations of Guru Granth Sahib on Aug 31 and Sept 1.

ONKAR SINGH, Patiala

VI

Apropos of the report "Shoddy treatment to dignitaries" (Sept 2), people should know that at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, people come for peace of mind and salvation. In fact, pilgrims consider the very visit to the Golden Temple itself as a great honour.

BHAKKAR SINGH, Faridkot

VII

It looked like an Akali Dal show rather than a religious affair. Parkash Utsav does not belong to Akalis only. The teachings of Guru Granth Sahib pertain to all sections of society.

BHAG SINGH AULAKH, Chandigarh

Follow MCI rules According to a report in The Tribune (Aug 18), doctors have rightly drawn the attention of the Punjab Public Service Commission and the Medical Education Department against the violation of the Medical Council of India's rules in the recruitment of teachers for Medical Colleges in Punjab. The authorities have violated another MCI rule about the specific requirement of teaching experience. As per MCI rules, teaching experience for the posts of Professors in Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics, Pediatrics, etc., is four years as Associate Professor. However, in the PPSC advertisement, issued by the PPSC through the Medical Education Department), the same has been mentioned as five years for Assistant Professor. As MCI is a statutory body, it is mandatory for every concerned agency to follow its rules. S.M. ARORA, Amritsar

S. Kultar Singh

Apropos of the obituary “In the cause of the martyr” (The Tribune, Sept 7), S. Kultar Singh was born on Aug 29, 1918, and not as published.

CHAMAN LAL, Patiala