Amritsar, Punjab (March 22, 2014): According to a news reported by the Hindustan Times (HT): Canada-based Sikh scholar Pal Singh Purewal, the architect of the Nanakshahi calendar, met the Sikh Jathedars on March 20.
He appealed to them to direct the SGPC to revert to the ‘original’ Nanakshahi calendar prepared by him in 2003.
The SGPC after recognising the 2003 calendar had brought about certain amendments in 2009. This amended calendar was approved by the SGPC and the Akal Takht in 2010 and since then has been followed by the Sikh community.
However, a fresh controversy has now again arisen, with a section of the Sant Samaj handing over a memorandum to the Akal Takht jathedar seeking to revert to the traditional Bikrami calendar that the Sikhs followed prior to 2003.
In the memorandum, they had contended that even the amended calendar of 2010 continued to cause confusion among the Sikhs. The memorandum is still under consideration with the Akal Takht jathedar as the move of the Sant Samaj is being opposed by large sections of Sikh diaspora and Sikh nationalists.