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Sikhism's appeal charts new
course
800
non-Sikhs, 28 from foreign countries, enroll for SGPC's
correspondence Sikh Studies programme
AMRITSAR:
Sikhism seems to be arousing the curiosity of people from all over
the world and different religions. A total of 3,000 people,
including 800 non-Sikhs, 28 from foreign countries and 1,100 from
states other than
Punjab,
have registered themselves for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee's two-year correspondence course in Sikh Studies.
Avtar Singh
Makkar, SGPC president, had started the course in 2007, aiming to
preach the basic tenets of Sikhism to people across the world.
Offered in Punjabi and Hindi, the course is likely to be taught in
English too. And its students range from the powerful to the
influential.
"We are proud of
awarding course certificates to a retired Maj Gen of the Army and a
Punjab Police DIG during the 2007-09 session. We have enrolled
several senior Army officers and bureaucrats for this session," says
Correspondence Course Directorate head Dr Jasbir Singh Sabar.
He mentions that
the idea is to explain the purpose behind the writing of the Guru
Granth Sahib when so many holy scriptures exist. The course also
deals with the religious, historical, economic, political and social
aspects of the Guru Granth Sahib besides the lives and works of its
authors.
The syllabus --
prepared by Sabar after taking the help of scholars Dr Jodh Singh,
Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, Dr Gurnek Singh, Dr Paramjit Singh Sidhu,
Dr Paramvir Singh and Simarjit Singh -- is contained in two books
comprising 200 pages each. It carries a message that the appeal of
the Sikhs' holy book is not only confined to the community but the
entire humanity as it has references to the names of other religious
Gods.
The SGPC charges
only Rs 100 as enrollment fee. Books and personal contact programme
are provided free of cost. There is one handicap, however.
The exam centres
are in Punjab only. Nevertheless, the authorities have started
conducting personal contact programme classes outside the state.
There is no
community, caste or age barrier to study the course.
To attain the
certificate, a student has to score 40 per cent aggregate marks in
all the eight papers four in first-year and as many in the second.
Subjects taught
in the first year include Salient Features of Guru Granth Sahib,
Life and Works of Sikh Gurus, Basic Tenets of Sikhism and its
Culture, History and Literature and Sikh Rehat Maryada (way of
life). The second-year syllabus includes basic information about the
five major religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Jainism,
Christianity and Sikhism, lives and works of five saints Farid,
Namdev, Ravidas, Kabir and Dhanna, Basic Concepts of Sikhism and
Prominent Sikh Traditions and Movements/Morchas.
Sabar says the
level of these exams is equivalent to that of reputed universities.
Outstanding students are given cash awards too.
30
September 2009
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