Selected Editorials - The Sikh Bulletin

was to re-examine our historical and religious literature in the light of Gurbani and introduce Gurmat
practices in the Gurdwaras. Tribune News Service dated Dec.7, 2004 reports that re-editing of Suraj
Parkash has already begun to remove mythological content that is in direct contradiction with Gurbani
and Gurmat. That is precisely what Gurbakhsh Singh Kala Afghana has been saying. For this, instead of
getting an Honorary D. Lit. from Guru Nanak Dev University, which he richly deserved, he got
excommunicated, because in the course of his writings he had examined the writings of Gurbachan Singh
of Damdami Taksal and Randhir Singh of Akhand Kirtani Jatha upon which he commented with the
support of Gurbani. He also commented on Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s role, among others.
All this did not sit well with the two organizations that these personalities belonged to and S. Kala
Afghana started receiving death threats just as Dr. Sangat Singh had upon writing ‘Sikhs in History’ and
‘Jathedar’ Iqbal Singh alleges to be receiving from ‘Jathedar’ Vedanti now for opposing Giani Gurdit
Singh’s book ‘Mundavani’. Giani Gurdit Singh, as a member of the SGPC Dharam Parchar committee,
supported the excommunication of S. Kala Afghana which Vedanti carried out under pressure both from
AKJ and Damdami Taksal and upon learning that Kala Afghana’s critique of his publication ‘Gurbilas
Patshahi 6’ had reached the publishers. Now both Vedanti and Giani Gurdit Singh are targets of
excommunication at the hands of Iqbal Singh, ‘Jathedar’ of Patna Sahib for not recognizing ‘Ragmala’ as
part of AGGS. Would it not be in the Panthic interest to apologize to Kala Afghana and invite him to
join a group of real Sikh scholars, not the plagiarizing kind, to clean out anti gurmat myths from Sikh
literature
Recently I came across this in The Economist:
“The Economist First Published in September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between
intelligence, which presses forward and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”
This seemed to apply to the reasons for the publication of The Sikh Bulletin, except that the ignorant
obstructing our progress are not timid. On the contrary, because of the powers behind them, they are
outright bullies. According to news in The Tribune dated Nov.26, 2004, Mr. Prithipal Singh Sandhu, who
is a mere sala of ‘Jathedar’ Vedani but often acts as if he is himself ‘Jathedar’, while referring to SSI-
WSC at Dixie Road Gurdwara in Mississauga, “alleged that the Sikh scholars had used most derogatory
language against the ‘Jathedar’ during the function.” The reality is that these two characters have
dragged the good name of Akal Takhat down to an all time low. For the most appropriate words to
describe them one will have to look to what Gurbani says about a manmukh. Their commitment is not to
the Guru nor to the Sikh Community but to the powers that appointed them. In their battle royal about the
book ‘Mundavni’ the two ‘Jathedars’ of Akal Takhat and Patna Sahib are at each other’s throat. What
goes around comes around. There was a time when Giani Gurdit Singh recommended excommunication
of Gurbakhsh Singh Kala Afghana and ‘Jathedar” Vedanti carried it out. Now, over the book ‘Mundavni’,
Giani Iqbal Singh, ‘Jathedar’ of Patna Sahib, is threatening to excommunicate these two. In his statement
to the press on Dec.7, 2004 about ‘Jathedar’ Vedanta’s ‘sala’ Mr. Prithipal Singh Sandhu, Iqbal Singh
asked some very interesting questions the answers to which we would like to get: “SGPC had terminated
the services of Mr. Sandhu following serious allegations, he continued to work as personal assistant to
Jathedar Vedanti. He asked the SGPC to probe under what capacity Mr. Sandhu had been ‘dictating’ to
the Sikh clergy during the meetings”.
So, dear reader, I find it very difficult to keep the personalities out of the issues under discussion. It is all
the more difficult when the personality itself is an issue as is the case with the position of mukh sewadar
of Akal Takhat. We all respect the institution of Akal Takhat but the mukh sewadar as an individual has
to earn that trust, especially since all the mukh sewadars of recent times have not been worthy of that
trust. Until and unless we all understand this distinction and stop courting these people just because
they hold that office we are doing injustice to the integrity and moral authority of Akal Takhat itself.
19