Singh Sabha London East defies Sikh Rehat Maryada by allowing Hindu ritual in Darbar Hall

Posted: 04 Feb 2017

LONDON, UK—On Saturday 28th January a controversial event was held at Sri Guru Singh Sabha London East (SSLE). The ‘Akali Darbar’ was organised by “East London Guru Ke Fauj and SSLE Youth committee”, the former an unheard of entity among the Sangat of East London and the latter the unelected youth committee of the Gurdwara, who’s current membership and selection process is unknown.
   A video of the event has been circulating among social media and has understandably caused an enormous deal of outrage and upset amongst the UK sangat.  A group of individuals can be seen standing in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee, reciting the Aarti-Aarta bani. During the reading of this bani, an individual in the sangat (in fact a member of the SSLE Youth committee) can clearly be seen holding and waving a thaali (ceremonial platter) bedecked with joats (candles) infront of the holy saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee.
Clearly the above description is more reminiscent of Hindu rituals to be seen in a Mandir as opposed to Sikh worship found in a Gurdwara.  The hurt sangat of East London say they have been left questioning how these outsiders, unknown to the local sangat, were able to come and change the maryada of their Gurdwara by introducing a ceremony that had never taken place before, without consulting with any of the regular members of sangat.
In actual fact, such a ritual is a gross contravention of the Akal Takht’s Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM);
“ਸ)  ਉਪਰ ਦੱਸੇ ਸਾਮਾਨ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਧੂਪ ਜਾਂ ਦੀਵੇ ਮਚਾ ਕੇ ਆਰਤੀ ਕਰਨੀ, ਭੋਗ ਲਾਉਣਾ, ਜੋਤਾਂ ਜਗਾਉਣੀਆਂ, ਟੱਲ ਖੜਕਾਉਣੇ ਆਦਿ ਕਰਮ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਨਹੀਂ[ ਹਾਂ, ਸਥਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਗੰਧਿਤ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਫੁੱਲ, ਧੂਪ ਆਦਿ ਸੁਗੰਧੀਆਂ ਵਰਤਣੀਆਂ ਵਿਵਰਜਿਤ ਨਹੀਂ[ ਕਮਰੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਰੌਸ਼ਨੀ ਲਈ ਤੇਲ,ਘੀ ਜਾਂ ਮੋਮਬੱਤੀ, ਬਿਜਲੀ, ਲੈਂਪ ਆਦਿ ਜਗਾ ਲੈਣੇ ਚਾਹੀਦੇ ਹਨ |

1. Anything except the afore-mentioned reverential ceremonies, for instance, such practices as the Aarti (waving of a platter with burning lamps and incense set in it in vertical circular motion) with burning incense and lamps, offerings of eatables to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, burning of lights, beating of gongs, etc., is contrary to Gurmat (the Guru’s way). However, for the perfuming of the place, the use of flowers, incense and scent is not barred. For light inside the room, oil or butter-oil lamps, candles, electric lamps, kerosene oil lamps, etc., may he lighted.”

Eminent Sikh scholar and saint, Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Jee Bhindranwale (Damdami Taksal) has this to say on the issue:
ਆਰਤੀ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਬੈਠ ਕੇ ਪੜਨੇ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੀ ਯੋਗ ਹੈ।ਥਾਲ ਵਿਚ ਦੀਵੇ ਬਾਲ ਕੇ ਆਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਖੰਡਨ ਸਤਿਗੁਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ।
“It is best to sit and sing Shabads of Aarti. Doing Aarti with lighted lamps in plates has been rejected by Satguru Ji.” (Gurbani Paath Darpan)
Even a cursory glance at the opening shabad of the Aarti prayer itself, (Dhanasari M:1 Aarti) leaves no doubt as to the intention of this prayer as a total condemnation of the Hindu ritual which makes use of the steel thaali and lamps. Guru Nanak Dev Jee’s message in this shabad is clear; that the only true Aarti of the lord is the entire creation itself and the best way for a devotee to perform Aarti is to repeat the true name of the Lord, naam japna. To think that a person would find it appropriate to sing these very verses while performing the exact opposite is highly ironic and shows a complete disregard for the meaning of Gurbani.
Unconfirmed reports are stating that the Gurdwara committee is claiming that they were unaware that this ritual was taking place. This answers has confused members of the East London sangat and raised many questions:

1. How are the committee able to claim ignorance when the individual holding the thaali (the organiser of the event) is himself a part of the SSLE Youth committee?
2. How is it possible for the committee to claim they were unaware this was going to happen when the sangat had already warned and questioned them about whether this ritual would be taking place in a letter handed in two weeks prior to the event?
3. Why was not a single member of the main committee or a single Granthi present in the Darbar Hall?
4. What action will be taken to atone for this gross misconduct and appease the outraged sangat?

The event had already courted a huge deal of controversy before it even took place, as the original event poster had advertised kirtan by a ‘Gurbaksh Singh Namdhari Jatha’. The jatha believe in the namdhari faith which presents an entirely alternative view of history to the current account accepted by the Khalsa Panth. According to all factions of the namdhari faith, Guru Gobind Singh Jee did not give gurgaddi to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee and then ascend to Sachkhand in 1708, but in fact went into hiding (while the Sikh Panth underwent massacres and holocausts by the tyrannical Islamic rulers) until 1797, when Guru purportedly gave gurdgaddi to ‘Balak Singh’ who was followed by five more dehdari (human) ‘Gurus’. At present there are two sects, one believing in ‘Satguru Uday Singh’ and the other believing in ‘Satguru Thakur Dalip Singh’.  In the above mentioned letter, the sangat of East London had explained that to allow a namdhari jatha to perfom kirtan on a gurdwara stage was nothing short of sacrilege and it was proven beyond all doubt that such an act would directly contravene Sikh Rehat Maryada and Akal Takht’s 2000 Hukamnama banning Namdharis from Gurdwara stages. It is appreciated that the SSLE committee took heed of the sangat and cancelled the Namdhari Jatha before the event took place.
Equally controversially, another jatha invited to the event was the, ‘Blue Lions Jatha’ made up of Kamalroop Singh and other self-proclaimed Nihangs (it is unknown to which Nihang dal these individuals belong and what, if any link they have with certified Nihang Singhs of Punjab). This group had recently come to the limelight for their beadbi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee and flaunting of Akal Takht Maryada and hukamnamas (see: https://www.sikh24.com/2016/11/10/beadbi-uk-based-dr-kamalroop-singh-receives-flak-for-controversial-wedding-in-monaco/) . When sangat complained about the Namdhari jatha attending the event, a new poster was issued without the namdhari jatha and also with the Blue Lions Jatha removed. Strangely, the new poster had replaced the text ‘Blue Lions Jatha’ with ‘Akal Kirtan Jatha’, which on the day proved to be none other than the Blue Lions themselves. The motives behind this are questionable and join a long list of strange actions by the Gurdwara committee and event organisers throughout this saga.
It is understood that local sangat will again be approaching the Gurdwara committee with the aforementioned grievances, in the hopes that they will see sense and realign themselves with Akal Takht and the Panth.