Leaders of Panthik bodies releasing Nanakshahi Calendar
JALANDHAR, Punjab (March 17, 2015)—Various Panthik organizations from Punjab as well as other countries such as the UK, USA, Italy, and Canada came together on Monday to release the original Nanakshahi Calendar of 2003 at the Punjab Press Club. There were reportedly 60 organizations involved in this event.
UK Sikh leader Rajinder Singh Purewal as well as Sikh Sewak Society International president Parminderpal Singh Khalsa, noted that Sikh writer Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Bhai Baldev Singh Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Malkit Singh UK, Harjit Singh Sikh Missionary College (Regd.) Ludhiana, Nishan Singh Italy, Baba Bibek Singh, Prithipal Singh Sandhu etc. were all at the event to release the calendar.
Rejecting the Bikrami Calender released by the appoined Akal Takht Jathedar on behalf of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikh leaders alleged that Parkash Badal was behind this move. They said Badal had ended the existence of Nanakshahi Calendar in order to woo Darewadis in elections.
Parminderpal Singh Khalsa alleged that the calendar released by the Jathedars on March 14 in Amritsar was “Nanakshahi in name but Bikrami in character”. He alleged that Jathedars had played a fraud on the Sikh community.
These organisations also rejected the committee constituted by the Jathedars to resolve the calendar row.
They also appealed Canada based Sikh scholar Pal Singh Purewal (architect of Nanakshahi Calendar) to withdraw his name from the Calendar committee, so that concrete action could be taken to get Nanakshahi Calendar implemented.