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Sikh Heritage Museum to be opened
in England
WSN Network
LONDON/JALANDHAR:
In an attempt to show case articles related to Sikh Heritage
scattered in
UK at various
places, the Sikhs there are establishing National Sikh Heritage
Centre and Holocaust Museum along Gurudwara Singh Sabha, Derby, UK.
The museum has
already got 300 items, most of these weapons, and 3 canons of 18th
century on lease by British Government, Chairman of the Museum
Committee, Rajinder Singh Purewal, said adding that the proposed
museum would be affiliated to the British National Museum and more
such articles were expected to given by the later on lease.
Purewal
accompanied by Sikh Sewak Society leaders Parminderpal Singh Khalsa
and Pal Singh France, was in jalandhar this week where he said that
these weapons/items pertained to Sikh army of
Punjab who had
lost to the British forces in the late 1849 and then British took
these to UK.
Purewal said
that while the Museum would be launched on November 23 its grand
opening would be done in the month of February next year and they
were arranging that somebody from the Royal family of
England would
attend the occasion. These articles were lying at various places and
people were not even aware about all the places and the display, he
said while adding "now these would be available under one roof and
the Museum would become a major place to showcase the Sikh heritage
outside India."
The weapons
which had already been procured by the Museum and were being
displayed included guns, swords and other sharp edged weapons apart
from canons. He said that they would keep on collecting other
articles pertaining to Sikhs and rare manuscripts, documents, books
which were of immense historical importance would also be brought to
the Museum.
Meanwhile
Purewal and other leaders held that SGPC and other Sikh
organizations had not done much to preserve the heritage in India.
"Sincere and consistent efforts were clearly lacking in getting back
the material, including rare manuscripts, taken away by the army
during Operation Blue Star," they added.
12 November
2008
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