Political egos bristle in an untimely touch of pettiness, casting a pall over celebrations
To Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal goes the credit for the beautification of the historic town. For laying the foundation of the ambitious Khalsa Heritage Memorial, touted as an enduring testimonial to the colourful history of Guru Gobind Singh's warrior-mystics. For inducing the central government to part with Rs 100 crore for a celebration that sweeps across the nation.
To him, also, must go the credit for denying the tricentenary a human face, turning it into what promises to be a three-day sarkari tamasha leached of social content. For failing, as the thin turnout for his Khalsa march on the eve of Hola Mohalla showed, to reach out and involve the people at a personal level. Also culpable is Gurcharan Singh Tohra, for treating the sgpc as his personal fiefdom for 25 years, subverting the body to serve his political interests.
Two years of governance marked by rampant corruption and nepotism, followed by the Badal-Tohra feud, had already engendered disgust. When the Akal Takht, the temporal seat of the Sikh Gurus, was drawn into the controversy, public faith in both the religious and political leadership was shaken. "What are you celebrating? The state is going to the dogs, our religious institutions are being undermined, there's nothing positive to look forward to," says Col (retd.) R.S. Dhanoya. Similar views are aired across the length and breadth of Punjab.
Badal has temporarily cut the ground from under Tohra's feet by appointing Bibi Jagir Kaur as sgpc president. In the best traditions of the faith, the move may have a political payoff: enthuse women voters and prepare the way for the entry of Badal's own daughter and daughter-in-law into politics. She is from a respected family, is liked by the bureaucracy and will be pliable, ensuring that Badal remains the sole centre of power in the Akali Dal. But installing a political puppet as sgpc president-who plays a key role in the appointment of the Akal Takht jathedar-sets a dangerous precedent.
Embarrassed by the petty squabbling, the Sikh qaum (community) has turned its face away from Anandpur Sahib and gone about its business, says Tohra loyalist and mla Manjit Singh Calcutta. What was supposed to be a clarion call to Sikhs throughout the world has been perverted into a game of political one-upmanship. The tricentenary itself has been politicised, with both Badal and Tohra seeking to hog the limelight.
"We had hoped to tell the world what Sikhism stood for, what the Khalsa signifies, what its historic contributions are and what answers Sikhism has for the challenges of the new millennium," says Calcutta. The idea was to reach out not just to the qaum but to non-Sikhs the world over.
It should have been the finest hour of the Shiromani Akali Dal (sad). As the party in power in the year of the tricentenary, with a friendly government at the Centre and a state finally at peace, it was a unique opportunity to host an event the country would have remembered when memories of terrorism had long faded. To reclaim the position of respect and trust the Sikhs had held in happier times.
Instead, says former Punjab dgp K.P.S. Gill, disregarding the most basic tenets of the faith, the sad leaders are engaged in petty quarrels, disgracing themselves and the community. "The tricentenary symbolises the total lack of vision of the political leadership." Sums up historian Patwant Singh: "Three hundred years ago, panthic leaders fought the Mughals. Two hundred years ago, they fought the British. Today, they fight among themselves." Which leads to moments of apparent forgetfulness, like the one that must have overtaken the Punjab assembly when it dubbed this year of all years as "year of the human spirit".
What's missing from the tricentenary, says eminent advocate G.S. Grewal, is the human element. A people who believe strongly in community action have been allowed no sense of participation, no feeling of affiliation with the vast structures coming up at Anandpur Sahib. "Even the rich man feels no sense of satisfaction in the building of a gurudwara until he has hauled a tokra of bajri on his head. Never forget, this is the community which rebuilt the Akal Takht with its own hands, tearing down the government-funded restorations," says Grewal.
The government did have a role to play in terms of providing infrastructure, since the function was both historic and religious. And it got off to a good start. Two panels were set up to oversee the tricentenary celebrations-the Anandpur Sahib Foundation Committee (asfc) headed by Badal, which was to handle the development projects, provide infrastructure and implement the projects thought up by the sgpc panel. Books, films, nagar kirtans, mass baptisms, sports events, seminars and conferences were planned by the sgpc. Its role in involving the community, given its hold over the sangats through its gurudwaras, was seen as crucial.
But in January, the Badal-Tohra feud divided the sgpc and the chief minister wrested complete control of the tricentenary, rendering the sgpc panel defunct. At that point, the intelligentsia began questioning whether a purportedly secular government ought to have undertaken an event with strongly religious underpinnings.
Calcutta observes: "The spirit of the tricentenary has been greatly diminished. We had chalked out a long list of programmes, invited people the world over, visited various states to organise programmes-but we haven't been able to back them up." The Damdami Taksal (Mehta) and other institutions with a powerful hold on the qaum have distanced themselves. Says renowned ragi Bhai Kulbir Singh: "We have nothing to do with the sgpc or the state government. We want to stay away from politics.In our own quiet way, we have undertaken programmes of baptism, nagar kirtans and dissemination of religious teachings."
Notwithstanding the sentiments of Sikh intellectuals, the celebrations were handed over to the Badalocracy. And the coterie of Badal's favoured bureaucrats proved singularly lacking in vision. Projects were delayed, scrapped or commissioned so late that they cannot possibly be ready in time for the tricentenary. There have also been allegations of profiteering, particularly with regard to over-budgeted projects and land speculation at Anandpur Sahib. Indeed, a Badal loyalist and member of the asfc observed: "Political interference and bureaucratic ineptitude have robbed the tricentenary of its historical significance. They have not even managed to produce a pamphlet explaining the reasons for the creation of the panth and its contributions. Where are the promised music cassettes, the TV serials, the Rs 36 lakh coffee-table book? There's been no sense of accountability, so that no coherent picture is emerging."
Hundreds of crores have been spent to achieve a structure without spirit, he says. "All you have is a huge crowd, speeches and ardas. Nothing that will not be consigned to the dustbin of memory. What we'd hoped would be a global event has translated into a filmi function." But then, says sgpc member J.S. Bala, Badal is known for creating symbols, not for his ability to deliver. "Let's face it, the sad has never made any bones about its religio-political moorings. In the expectation that the eyes of the entire Sikh world would be glued to Anandpur Sahib come Baisakhi, Badal was not about to share the limelight with Tohra or Bhai Ranjit Singh. They, as religious heads, would have commanded pride of place."
The heavy expenditure-Rs 400 crore and rising-has attracted criticism in the face of the tremendous cash crunch faced by the Badal government. Says erstwhile maharajah of Patiala Amarinder Singh: "All that was needed was an obelisk and say, some technical universities, something to benefit the community." It is hard to justify paying Israeli architect Moshe Safdie a whopping fee for the design of the Khalsa museum in the form of a larger than normal per cent of the total project cost. "Safdie ranks 25th or 30th in the world. Architecturally, his design is defective and should be scrapped. He's taken Badal for a royal ride. Besides, it's all very well to have this huge structure, but what do you put in it?" asks Patwant Singh. That's a good question: Gurudwara Keshgarh Sahib, custodian of the tenth Guru's most sacred relics-the khanda, karpa barchha, saif and katar-is unlikely to hand them over.
"I think we're too young and vigorous a faith to be put in a museum," says Gill, who feels money should have been spent for the benefit of the qaum rather than on building white elephants. Nor is the complex likely to materialise in a hurry. "The one-year celebration is a five-year plan," observes Colonel (retd.) Jaspal Khurana. "All the Sikhs will have egg on their faces. A unique opportunity to produce something spectacular has been lost," rues Patwant Singh.
The celebratory fervour hangs in tatters, despite the odd salvage attempt. "Every Sikh sangat will chalk out its own programmes. We're still trying to salvage the celebrations, by holding meetings and baptisms, sports events and debates," says Calcutta. With little impact, going by Baba Bawa Singh, granthi of Roranwallah village: "The big gurudwaras will organise something.Nothing is planned here."
pcc chief Amarinder Singh is upset that there's been no attempt to conserve the Sikh architectural heritage. Punjab's historical gurudwaras, like Damdama Sahib and Paonta Sahib, have either been covered in marble, or the original buildings have been destroyed with new structures raised over the debris. He holds the sgpc responsible: "I've been fighting against this for 20 years, to no avail." Conservation architect Gurmeet Rai agrees: "At least some of the money should go towards preserving our architectural heritage." She has filed a pil against the blind alterations and demolitions in Anandpur town.
The Congress has charted out its own programme and in at least one respect, it has an edge on Badal-the former maharajah's family has custody of some of Guru Gobind Singh's relics. These, along with other relics lent by prominent Punjabi families, will be at the forefront of a procession in the first week of April that will chart a course from Patna Sahib to Damdama Sahib and then to Anandpur Sahib. The following year will see conferences, sports meets, kavi darbars, blood donation camps and kirtans commemorating the humanitarian and poetic spirit of the tenth guru. It may not be enough to bring the community out of its apathy, but it's the effort that counts.
In the messy, discordant run-up to the tricentenary, the words of Guru Gobind Singh strike an almost incongruous note: "The Khalsa shall rule; none can resist/The rebellious shall be destroyed, and the obedient shall have favours heaped upon them."