| Punjabi heritage comes alive in Chandigarh Exhibtion |
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| Written by Aditi Tandon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday, 19 November 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 It is not common knowledge that in 1960, UNESCO commissioned the Sahitya Akademi to translate a selection of sacred writings of the Sikhs.In pursuance of the mission, the then Vice-President of India, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, called a meeting of eminent Sikh scholars who brought out the book, which was to be the first in the series of attempts by UNESCO to further mutual acceptance of cultures between the East and the West. What began at UNESCO as a “major project” was soon forgotten. It was only in September this year that the project was remembered when a team from Punjab raised the issue in Italy where UNESCO held its 11th International Seminar on the “Conservation of Intangible Global Heritage”. Members from Punjab made the long-forgotten book, “The Sacred Writings of the Sikhs”, part of their presentation on the Intangible Heritage of Punjab - a field of active research across Europe and the USA. Part of the presentation, which ensured Punjab heritage a place in UNESCO’s priority list, is now on display at IndusInd Gallery, Sector 8. Strangely, it has not attracted much attention despite the precious information on offer. On display are inspiring facts about Punjab’s material and military history, including the fact that Ieper (Belgium) is the only place in Europe where Indian/ Sikh troops are remembered daily. Here at Ieper, a daily last post ceremony is held in honour of 10,000 Indian soldiers who saved Ieper from Germany’s wrath during the First World War. Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi paid tributes here on her recent visit to Belgium. Also on display is the letter which Director of Flanders Fields Museum (Ieper) wrote to former UT Administrator Lt-Gen JFR Jacob (retd). In this letter he has offered the UT Administration support with setting up of a section dedicated to Indian soldiers who were killed at Ieper. The offer, strangely, was not taken. Lt-Col Perminder Singh Randhawa (retd), who was part of the team that visited Italy, says, “The offer was made for setting up a commemorative section at the Government Museum, Chandigarh. Our presentation at UNESCO includes a copy of this letter. Further, it focuses on intangible and tangible heritage of Punjab. Sikh Gurus and their teachings are intangible heritage because we cannot depict them. We can only reconstruct this heritage through Janmasakhis and other records. Similarly, the Adi Granth is intangible to the extent that it can be best understood through “Gurbani”.” `But the Golden Temple, forts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the rare military records at the United Services Institution, New Delhi, are tangible heritage of Punjab.” The Expo, which seeks public support to make the UNESCO project a success, will be on till November 20 and it focuses attention on interesting facts about Punjab’s history. It explains how Ranjit Singh’s force — Darbar-e-Khalsa — was truly an international force. “It had on board French, American and European officers and soldiers drawn from all existing faiths. At San Francisco, research on Ranjit Singh and his wars is still in progress,” says Randhawa. Records show that Ranjit Singh’s Darbar-e-Khalsa was in fact the forerunner of the unique Lahore Division which fought the First World War in Europe. Many of these soldiers died saving Ieper in Belgium. No wonder every fifth name written on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper is of an Indian and every third such name is of a Sikh. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
simeone14
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| Is the presentation material available to view online anywhere? |
manpreet kaur
said:
| Satnam! The last post ceremony in Ieper Belgium is held for all the soldiers that fell in the war. So yes for the indian /sikh soldiers too, but not for them alone. It is for ALL the soldiers, wherever they came from. And i think it is a great and peace loving gesture to remember all the young lives that were sacrificed. We can not forget them... |
manpreet kaur
said:
| Please check the official website: www.lastpost.be Read under "aims and objectives" "We will remember them" |
Davinder
said:
| Hey, i just want to say that i like the idea that sikhism is growing across the world. How can sikhism help out moderate sikhs like me. |
harinder
said:
| may the spirit of " Nanak Nam chadi Kala tere bane sarvat tha bhalla prevail " " na taro aur juh jab chahe laro nische kar apni jeet karo " love to all the manifestation of god hps |
AMARJEET SINGH JABBAL
said:
| "jhoolte rahein nishan panth maharaj ke'' '' khalsa akal purakh ki fouj'' -''pargatio khalsa parmatam ki maoj''- ''jab lag khalsa rahe niara'' ''tab lag tej dioon main sara''- chardi kala- Guru fatah. |
Darshan Singh
said:
| I think we should not only laud and be proud of others sacrifices but shoud emulatetheir lives and live the life Sikhi way -Be humble, humane honest and remember GOD the LORD and our GURUS' teachings. |
gurpreet kaur
said:
| I am proud to be a sikh and always tries to tell the importance of being kesdhari to the people of other nationalities. |
Jaswant (Just 1) Singh
said:
| Japji Sahib the first daily prayer is — Song of the Soul, composed by Nanak. This prayer provides everything you need in your life to help you reach your highest potential as a human being. It begins, "There is One God. Truth is his name. He is the doer of all deeds, without fear, without revenge, undying, unborn and self illumined. This is by God's grace. Meditate! God is true in the beginning. He is true through all the ages. He is true even now and will forever be true." So, all I can say is that TRUTH cannat be changed there were other soldiers too. Apart form Indian/Sikh there were soldiers from different walks of life. I reckon the last post ceremony is held for all the soldiers that fell in the war. Sikhism is face of quality, moreover, understanding. Hence, Guru Tegh Bhadur said the following: Jau tau prem khelon ka chao, Sir dhar talli gali meri ao. It marag pair dharijai, Sir dijai kan na kijai. i.e. If you are keen on playing the game of love, enter my path with your head on the palm of your hand. Once you set your foot upon it, lay down your head without any fear or demur. Guru Arjun Dev Ji said the following: Nah ko beiri, nehin bigana, Sagal Sangi, ham ko bani aee. i.e. None is our enemy, Nor is any one alien to us. We are friends of all mankind. Moreover, they(GURU Ji's) were not paid but laid / sacrificed themself for the sake of love for mankind. I reckon, the ceremony is a good gesture and there is no need ot dispute. |
mahabeer singh
said:
| i just want to say that it is a platform to know about your culture &traditions to which we all punjabi belongs |
Inderjeet Kaur
said:
| Sikh religion is very modern religion. There is no differences between the men and womens rights. " So kyon manda aakhieye jit jamye rajan" And I am very proud to be sikh. |
ramneek
said:
| we all saying we are proud to be sikh n many more things ,,,are we really are sikh ,, are we really carrying on sikhism as we were told by our gurus or we are just faking sikhism,,dont even one of us had a peek in ourself and answer honestly are we the sikhs for whom our gurus have sacrificed their evry thing or we are just a curse on sikhism ,,, |
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