1999: Canadians Khalsas Research SGGS For Calender Dates For The World 1. Sardar
Pal Singh Purewal,of Canada is an international authority on almanacs, has been
appointed as Adviser to the S.G.P.C states as follows:
- It has been assessed accurately, that there are 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes
and 46 seconds (365.2422 days). Any deviation from this will inevitably disturb
the relationship between seasons and months Nanakshahi Samvat, introduced to
commemorate the advent of our great prophet, Guru Nanak, is linked, like the
Bikrami Samvat, with a sidereal year based on fixed stars, with a length of
365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 9,5 seconds. This is longer than the solar
year by about 24 minutes and 24,5 seconds. The result is there for all to see.
Vaisakhi which fell on 27th March in 1469 CE (the year Guru Nanak was born),
moved to 29th March in 1699 ( the year the Khalsa was created), and will fall
on 14th April in 1999 when we celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa.
It has been calculated that in approximately 70 year Vaisakhi, as well as other
sangrands, is delayed by one day, so that after ten centuries or so, Vaisakhi
will go into May. In 13,000 years Vaisakhi will move into October. In that situation
the metaphors used in Gurbani and the seasons ascribed to specific months will
no more be valid or elevant. References will appear very odd indeed, if katik,
chet and sawan fall, respectively, in April, September,
and January, as they will if the calendar is not corrected.The Julian Calendar
followed earlier by Christians was also longer than the solar year, so that
the spring equinox which occurred on 21st March in 502 CE, advanced to 11th
March in 1582 CE. The Christian leadership took a serious view of this shift,
and replaced the Julian Calendar with their present Calendar (Gregorian Calendar)
based on the solar year. Pope Gregory also designated 5th October as 15th October
in 1582, in order to bring the spring equinox back to the original date, viz.,
21st March.We have noted above the slide in Vaisakhi over the years. There is
no reason why we should stubbornly let this disturbing slide continue, and let
the months in the Nanakshahi Calendar get out of step with the seasons. We have
to adopt the solar calendar and fall in line with the rest of the world.This
was in due course examined sifting voluminous data and unanimously came out
with recommendations on the dates of gurpurbs. These recommendations were discussed
in detail in a general meeting attended by participants representing Guru Nanak
Dev University, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala, Panjab University Chandigarh,
S.G.P.C., Sikh Missionary College (Amritsar, Ludhiana, Ropar), Chief Khalsa
Diwan, managements of gurdwaras in Chandigarh, besides a large number of historians
and Sikh scholars. The recommendations of the Committee were unanimously adopted,
and it was agreed that all gurpurbs be observed on fixed dates based on the
solar year alone in the Nanakshahi Calendar.The findings of the study groups
on the actual gurpurb dates, are particularly welcome. The dates connected with
the lives of the Gurus are sacred and, should not be shuttled back and forth.
The sudis and vadis that cause the avoidable confusion should be dispensed with
in the determination of all gurpurbs in future, as is already being done in
the case of some major events like the creation of the Khalsa, and martyrdom
of sahibzadas and the 40 muktas, etc.
2. Sardar Ajit Singh Sahota also of Canada, observed the adoption of fixed dates
is indeed a progressive step, and the only way to avoid an embarrassing situation
like the one pointed out below : "About a year ago, a local Board of Education
called WSO, and enquired about important dates in Sikh history, as they were
in the process of publishing a multicultural calendar for their schools. As
the education year in Canada goes from September to August each year, we had
to provide dates for two years in order to fulfil this request. The dates for
the current year were readily available, but the dates for the following year
had to be determined. "We unsuccessfully tried to determine those dates
from local sources. Finally, a phone call to the S.G.P.C. office had to be made.
The S.G.P.C. office was unable to provide this information, and they told us
to go to book publishers of the city, from where they receive their annual information
on dates.
"When I made this request to M/S. Singh Brothers in Amritsar, they were
also unable to oblige. The explanation given was that a couple of weeks before
the end of each year they place their order with some Patriwala Bhatra or Pandit.
They pay Rs. 200/- to Rs. 300/- for this service, and double check the information
with some other Patriwala before publishing their annual Jantris and calendars.
The S.G.P.C. uses the same information to publish its calendars.
"I wondered why, in spite of 75 years of glorious history, the S.G.P.C.,
had not put up a sound mechanism for the determination of gurpurbs dates. The
Sikh Nation has produced soldiers, scientists and scholars of unmatched
renown. In the computer age of today why do Patriwalas have to be used to determine
the gurpurb dates ?"