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Christians
celebrate Easter
New
Delhi: Christians in the Capital celebrated Easter
on Sunday. Easter signifies the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. To the devouts, the resurrection of Christ
symbolises the victory of good over evil and life
over death. At the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi,
devotees lit candles, sang devotional songs and attended
special prayers to mark the day. In southern India,
devouts came in huge numbers to attend midnight mass
in Thiruvananthapuram which has a large Christian
population. For most of the devouts it was a joyous
occasion. "Today's importance is mainly Christ after
resurrection went down to the world of dead and gave
the message of eternal life to the dead," said John
Michael. Easter eggs were a hit in Goa where people
thronged pastry shops to buy eggs of different colours
and shapes. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday
after the full moon following the vernal equinox or
the first Sunday after Good Friday - another important
date on the Christian calendar, when Christ was crucified.
It also concludes the Lent season which covers a forty-six
day period that began on Ash Wednesday. The Lent season
is a period of penitence in preparation for Easter,
considered the highest festival of the church year.
Christians make up about three percent of India's
over one billion population.
April 11, 2004
Guru
Granth Sahib sent to Canada
Amritsar:
A plan to propagate the principles of Sikhism
is under way as the celebrations around the 400th
anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib are on. The drive
includes teaching of the text on a voluntary basis
around the state, a stress on increased printing and
penetration, and its going out to places in India
and across the world. The fervour of devotion and
religious ardour as 150 birs of the Guru Granth Sahib,
the eternal Guru and Holy Book of the Sikhs are transported
from the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat, to
members of the community living or settled in Canada.
The Raja Sansi Airport in Amritsar was host to a very
special aircraft, chartered by a group of Sikhs in
Canada to carry the Granth Sahib to them from the
hub of the faith, recently. From Toronto, they would
be distributed to Gurudwaras across Canada and North
America. Propagating the message of the Gurus contained
in the Guru Granth Sahib has already seen it being
transported around the country in its 400th year,
with more initiatives under way. Its travelling on
this scale is seen as a new landmark in faith and
devotion. SGPC General Secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta
says: "To send the Guru Granth Sahib abroad, till
now we had a problem. We used to send it to Delhi
and individual arrangements had to be made from there.
This is the first time that Sikhs living in Canada
have made this collective effort, specially chartered
this plane. We welcome their initiative. In this holy
city of Amritsar, a few days ago we saw the Kar Sewa,
the power of faith. Today we see the devotion of the
community worldwide touch new frontiers." Exclusive
permission for printing and binding of the Guru Granth
Sahib is accorded only to select publishing bodies
in Amritsar under the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee, and others under its Delhi Unit in the
capital. As part of celebrations of the 400th anniversary,
the text is to be translated into all regional Indian
languages, and efforts to propogate understanding
of its message and spirituality are under way. In
its being revered as the eternal guru, the power of
faith goes much further than legal ordinances to pacify
the minority. "The Supreme Court had given the status
of a living guru. Some other decree or statute may
also follow, but we are not influenced by all these
temporal things. To us the words of the tenth Guru,
Guru Gobind Singh, stating that the Granth was to
be the eternal Guru ring out over time. His word is
final for us," says Jaswinder Singh Advocate, a member
of the SGPC. In the Gurbani, in the text of the Guru
Granth Sahib, teachings that are an amalgamation of
all religions at once, emanate a brilliant magic,
influencing millions around the world, in their prayer
and in their lives. Bestowed the position of the eternal
Guru, by Guru Gobind Singh himself, the text covers
every truth of the human personality, a guide and
a parameter towards an existence at peace with the
world. This message goes beyond time, adapts itself
to every context and age. Says Calcutta, "The Guru
Granth Sahib does not belong the Punjab alone. It
has nothing particular to Punjab to say. It is not
even confined to the physical and political boundaries
of India. It is global, cosmic. It is not one man's
story, it is not history or mythology. It is the truth
about human life." The daily late night ceremony at
the Golden Temple - an experience in itself. In the
Palki Sahib of gold and silver, the eternal guru is
carried with utmost respect from the Harmandir Sahib
to his residential chambers for the night. The air
steeped in devotional fervour, the chants and the
divinity ring out. And that aura travels further beyond
the temple precincts, beyond Punjab and Indian shores
to embrace the world.
April 9, 2004
Special
services mark Good Friday
New
Delhi/Cochin: The crucifixion of Jesus Christ
was observed with early morning masses, special prayers
and services in churches across the country, on Friday.
Churches conducted special services with priests urging
the devotees to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness preached
by Jesus Christ. "This is a very important day for
it remembers the passion, suffering the Jesus had,"
a priest at St. Thomas Church in the heart of Indian
capital said after a prayer ceremony. During the whole
week preceding Easter, there are lengthy canonical
prayers at churches with readings from the Gospel,
Epistles and the Old Testament. People also do social
service during the week. The native church in southern
Kerala celebrated Good Friday as the "Friday of Sorrow".
Christians in the country make up roughly three percent
of its over mainly Hindu one billion population.
April 9, 2004
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