SGPC to discourage devotees from offering rumalas at Golden Temple

In a recent move, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has discouraged the devotees from offering ‘rumalas’ at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple and other historic gurdwaras, thus making this ritual a virtual affair.

To curb the accumulation of large quantity of ‘rumalas’, mostly ‘substandard’, the SGPC has decided to set up dedicated counters where the devotees can deposit ‘bheta’ (offering) in lieu of ‘rumalas’.

The devotees would be issued a receipt which would enable them to get special ‘ardas’ performed inside the ‘Guru Darbar’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the Sikh shrines. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the ‘bheta’ collected against ‘rumalas’ would be utilised for the welfare of Sikh community.

“The ‘rumalas’ are offered in a large quantity. It’s a cumbersome exercise for the gurdwara managements to take care of them,” said Dhami.

Jasbir Singh, a devotee from New Delhi, said the SGPC’s reasoning can’t be agreed upon.

“The faith of devotees seems to be the last item on the list of the SGPC? In Sikhism, the devotees ‘vow’ to Guru that they will offer ‘rumala’ at gurdwara if his/her wish is fulfilled,” he said.

Jatinder Singh, a ‘rumala’ manufacturer, said thousands of artisans and distributors would lose their jobs with the SGPC’s decision. “Offering ’rumalas’ is a ritual from Guru’s era. The SGPC altered it for the sake of its management, but never spared a thought for hundreds of families which will lose their source of income,” said Satnam Singh, who sells ‘rumalas’ at the Heritage Street.

Supporting SGPC’s decision, former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Giani Kewal Singh said the Sikh ‘rehat maryada’ never necessitated offering ‘rumalas’ at gurdwaras. “Rather, the ‘rehat maryada’ guides us to spend money on useful purpose as per requirement in the gurdwaras. It is a wrong notion that pilgrimage will get completed only after offering ‘rumalas’ at gurdwaras,” he said.

Earlier, Akal Takht was flooded with a lot of complaints regarding low-quality and dirty ‘rumalas’ being sold in the markets. Jaswinder Singh, head of the Akal Purakh Ki Fauj, who has done a research on ‘rumalas’, said, “Everyday, ‘rumalas’ worth Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh are offered at the Golden Temple alone. The same amount can be used to construct hospitals, educational institutions and help the needy.”

Another devotee, Kamal Mohan, said. “It is a wise and practical decision. We have seen instances of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) of ‘rumalas’ when sent for disposal. The money collected can be used for the needful purpose,” he said.