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Mt
Mary Church in Mumbai celebrates 100 years
Mumbai:
Mount Mary Church in Mumbai is 100 years today.
The faithful flocked there to celebrate the occasion.
A special fair was also organised. "All temples are
the same. Because God is one, whether we go to a church,
Gurudwara or a mosque. This is a matter of faith that
we have given different names to God," said one devote.
25-year-old Bhavnaben, who lives in Thane, said: "We
have been coming for the last 10-11 years. We come
here for fulfillment of our wishes and pray to god
for the well-being. We have never felt that this is
anything separate and we are all Indians." The church
has seen good and bad times. The original Mount Mary
wooden sculpture believed to have been brought by
Jesuits all the way from Portugal in the 16th century
was damaged by Arab pirates in 1700. The 110-feet-long
and 38-feet-wide church has been renovated twice --
in 1904 and in 1954 and was granted the status of
a Basilica around that time.
Sept 13, 2004
Sikh
shrines in Pak: Committee formed
by Ravinder
SinghRobin
Amritsar:
The Pakistan government has formally constituted
a ten-member executive body of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara
Parbhandhak Committee (PSGPC) to manage Sikh shrines
in Pakistan. The Pakistan government has also formed
a five-member liaison committee of politicians and
philanthropists who will serve as a bridge between
the Pakistan government and the PSGPC. While talking
to this correspondent on telephone form Lahore, Izhar-ul-Hassan,
Additional Secretary of the Pakistan Evacuee Property
Trust Board (PETPB), said that the Pakistan government
has decided to take five members, including SGPC representatives
from India into the international advisory committee.
The ten-member committee will elect its president
in the last week of September, he informed. Sham Singh,
the co chairman of the PSGPC, said he was not in the
race for president of the PSGPC as it was for the
executive body to decide. However, he said that in
case the executive assigned him the responsibility,
he would perform it as per Panthic wishes. Meanwhile,
to appease the religious sentiments of Sikhs living
abroad, the Pakistan government has constitute a 15-member
advisory committee to advise the PSGPC executive on
the issues of Maryada and the management of Gurdwaras
as per the rule of Akal Takht. Sources informed that
apart from Sham Singh, Sawarn Singh, Sarbat Singh,
Sahib Singh (both from Peshawar), Mastan Singh and
Rawel Singh from Nankana Sahib, Bishan Singh from
Balochistan and Ram Singh have been co-opted into
the executive committee. Pak MNA Khalid Ranza, Haider,
a lady member and two Senators would form the five-member
advisory committee. Dr. Pritpal Singh, the convenor
of the American Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee and
Ganga Singh Dillon both from USA, Sardar Chain Singh
from France, Gurbax Singh Malhi from Canada, Joginder
Singh from far East and two members from London were
taken in the international Advisory committee. The
Pakistan Government established the PSGPC on April
14, 1999 and made Sham Singh as co chairman of the
committee but a Muslim head of PETPB that controls
the affairs of PSGPC.
Sept 10, 2004
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