Muted Gurbani Telecast on Heritage Street Irks Sikhs

Limited hours of Gurbani (singing of Sikh religious texts) telecast and that too muted on the five large LCD screens on the Heritage Street leading to Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) has irked the Sikh community. Pilgrims and visitors heading to pay obeisance at the holiest Sikh shrine demanded that the screens should be made audible. While the screens are silent, one-liners highlighting the achievement of the AAP government keep flashing the entire day. Some of these one-liners are: Bhrashtachar Mukt Panjab, Sarkar ne Nibhaya Vada (government fulfilled its promise of corruption-free Panjab), Sikhya ate Sehat budget wich 57% vadda (57% rise in education and healthcare budget), Panjab Sarkar Walon Ditiya 36,524 Sarkari Naukariyan (government has given 36,524 jobs). Attempts to lower the status of the Darbar Sahib is a running theme in Sikh history. Preserving the Darbar Sahib’s status is a mark of Sikh resilience. In the 18^th Century the Afghan forces repeatedly raided, destroying Darbar Sahib multiple times but the Sikhs always regained the site and rebuilt the sanctum sanctorum. After “Operation Blue Star” in 1984, the Indian government cleared the 400-year-old historic living museum Mai Sevan market. In 2016, the SAD government inaugurated a revamped entry to Darbar Sahib called Heritage Street. The entire construction and uniform toy-town look was Rajasthani and not inspired by Sikh architecture. In 2021 the union government inaugurated the revamped Jallianwala Bagh near Darbar Sahib which met with severe criticism. Now the AAP government has turned the holy site into a billboard. This time, the Sikhs are still searching for an answer to the nexus between contractors and governments.