By Hb Singh | Opinion |
I went through the 13 questions. Some claim they are creating a controversy, others claim they are causing confusion. In actual fact, they merely discuss a factual error in pinning down Guru Nanak’s actual date of birth, and explained how it came about. It’s educational in nature.
The article does not urge anyone to stop joining the on-going commemoration of Guru Sahib’s birthday. If able, we should all join the programmes, and enjoy the glow of the Sanggat. My family and I will be doing exactly that. In fact, as soon as I’m done with this article, we are headed to one of the local gurdwaras. We may even end up gurdwara hopping – G-Hop, as one of my family member calls it.
Question No 12 asks if they intend to stop people from celebrating Guru Nanak’s birthday in the October / November period?
The answer: “No. You go ahead. As cliche as it may sound, a Sikh can celebrate Guru Nanak’s birthday every day. At the same time, don’t hinder Sikhs who desire to celebrate Guru Nanak’s birthday on 14 April, the actual day of birth measured scientifically. So, in essence, the Vaisakhi celebration is a combination of two important markers for the Sikhs: the birthday of Guru Nanak and the establishment of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh. From Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, the cycle is completed.”
Sounds reasonable to me.
This document – 13 Questions on Guru Nanak’s Birthday – was published in 2022. It intends to inform the general public the issues behind the actual date of birth of Guru Nanak. More and more people are now aware that Guru Nanak’s actual date of birth is different from what we have been celebrating. They are curious as to know why.
Personally, I’ve heard about it before, but only did some serious reading some years ago. It’s astounding how so many of us have got our basic facts about our first Sikh Guru wrong. It’s time we rub the sleep out of our eyes.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF VERSION OF THE ARTICLE
But no harm done. What is more important is the essence of his teachings. I hope that I’ve been applying them, bits and pieces, at least, in my life.
Does it matter when we celebrate Guru Nanak’s birthday?
The date, in itself, does not carry any spiritual significance. That’s what Guru Sahib teaches us: no day is better or holier than another. But it carries a special significance to us, as followers of Guru Nanak, since it is his birthday. Just like the birthday of our parents and our kids. Nothing spiritual, but special, nevertheless. It’s call love!
In the long run, though, we must correct the error. The community must come together and plan how best to get this done.
For now, as we join the celebrations, let us also educate ourselves on the actual facts. Time to enhance our knowledge.
Hb Singh is a Kuala Lumpur-based journalist with some experience in dealing with Sikh organisations, both from within and outside.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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Hijacking of Guru Nanak’s birth date (Asia Samachar, 18 Nov 2021)
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Nicely said. Short and to the point.
But the coming together to sort this out has to happen at the leadership level in Amritsar, assuming they acknowledge this issue.
It is staggering to think that this error has gone undetected for centuries!
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