A special meeting of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation held here on Tuesday with its president, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia in the chair, hailed the appeal of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to the Sodhi family of Kartarpur to restore to the Sikh community the original Bir (Sri Adi Granth) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the 400th anniversary of whose compilation and first installation in Sri Harmandar Sahib is being celebrated all over the world on September 1, 2004, at Amritsar.

The authenticity of this original holy Granth, known as Sri Kartarpuri Bir, scribed by Bhai Gurdas under the direct supervision of Sri Guru Arjan Dev, had been vouched by top Sikh scholars, including Bhai Jodh Singh, after minute scrutiny of the holy text which bears the signature of Guru Arjan Dev. The date given there also corresponds to the year 1604.

Dr Ahluwalia said: 'It is hoped that the Sodhi family of Kartarpur would hand over the Kartarpuri Bir to the Sikh community well before the historic commemorative function at Amritsar on September 1.The Jagir assigned to the holy Bir by Maharaja Ranjit Singh may be kept by the Sodhi family'.

'If however', resolved the foundation, 'the Sodhi family does not rise to the occasion and continues insisting on treating it as their hereditary personal property, then the mammoth congregation at Amritsar should make an appeal to the Sodhi family to restore the Bir to the Sikh community, for, no original text of holy Granths of any religion, where available, are in the personal custody of any individual family. The gurdwara reform movement of the first and the second decade of the last century remains incomplete without getting back the holy Granth from the hereditary possession of a family'.

The Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should also prevail upon the Kartarpur Sodhi family in this connection. The foundation in its resolution further appealed to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to persuade the Sodhi family of Kartarpur to make the noble gesture of ceremonially returning the Bir to the SGPC, thereby earning the gratitude of the whole Sikh community. This would be a real achievement of the 400th celebration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.