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Journalism of Courage
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4: The International Punjabi Conference concluded here today with the NRIs voicing concern over the way the Sikh political leaders were fighting, resulting in a "distortion of the image of the community abroad".
The president of the London chapter of the International Punjabi Society (IPS), G.S. Gujral, said that while they were striving to improve the image of the community abroad, infighting among Sikhs in Punjab was leading to the image of Sikhs being distorted. He was also critical of the spate of hukumnamas being issued in the state.
Earlier, delivering the keynote address, the chairman of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, said that there was no place for the clergy in Sikh religion. He added that the priestly class did not exist in Sikhism.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while avoiding any reference to Sikh religious institutions, said that Ahluwalia had shed light on Sikh religion. Today was the final day of the Conference with the International Inter-Faith Conclave being organised by the IPS in collaboration with the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation.
In his welcome address, Adaish Partap Singh Kairon observed that the creation of the Khalsa was a culmination of the process which began with Guru Nanak Dev, who established the Sangat institution during his travels in India and elsewhere. Bhai Mohan Singh, president of IPS, laid the foundation stone of the Khalsa Tercentenary Bhawan at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. Amarjit Singh Sethi, general secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of IPS, proposed a vote of thanks.
