Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra was a president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 1 April 2004 at the age of 79. He remained the head of the SGPC for a record 27 years, and was one of the most influential and controversial Sikh leaders of the 20th century.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the management of gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Chandigarh. SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
Simranjit Singh Mann is MP from Sangrur constituency. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann is a three-time MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989-1991, and twice in Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022.
The Nanakshahi calendar is a tropical solar calendar used in Sikhism. It is based on the "Barah Maha", a composition composed by the Sikh gurus reflecting the changes in nature conveyed in the twelve-month cycle of the year. The year begins with the month of Chet, with 1 Chet corresponding to 14 March. The reference epoch of the Nanakshahi calendar is the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, corresponding to the year 1469 CE.
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa is a member of the Rajya Sabha. He is the President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt), which is formed by the merger of Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) led by he and Ranjit Singh Brahampura respectively. He used to be a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal political party until tensions rose inside the SAD Political Party. He was previously a member of 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing the Sangrur constituency of Punjab. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan in the awards list of 26 January 2019. However, he returned it in December 2020 during the farmer protests.
Sardar Gurbachan Singh was a Sikh scholar, professor, and author. He was born in Moonak, Sangrur district. He was a lecturer at the Sikh National College at Lahore. At the Banaras Hindu University he held the Guru Nanak Chair of Sikh Studies. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1985. He received in 1985 the National fellowship by the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.
Lachhman Singh Gill was an Indian politician who served as the 12th Chief Minister of Punjab. He remained in this post from 25 November 1967 to 22 August 1968. He was a member of Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party in Punjab.
Sant Harchand Singh Longowal was the President of the Akali Dal during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980s. He had signed the Punjab accord, also known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord along with Rajiv Gandhi on 24 July 1985. The government accepted most of the demands of Akali Dal who in turn agreed to withdraw their agitation. Less than a month after signing the Punjab accord, Sant Longowal was assassinated by the Terrorists who opposed a peaceful solution.
The Rajiv–Longowal Accord, was an accord signed by then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Akali leader of Punjab Harchand Singh Longowal on 24 July 1985. The government accepted the demands of Shiromani Akali Dal who in turn agreed to withdraw their agitation.
Sangrur district is in the state of Punjab in northern India. It is one of the five districts in Patiala Division in Indian state of Punjab. Neighbouring districts are Malerkotla (north), Barnala (west), Patiala (east), Mansa (southwest) and Fatehabad (Haryana) and Jind (Haryana) (south).
A takht, or taḵẖata literally means a throne or seat of authority and is a spiritual and temporal centre of Sikhism. There are five Takhts, which are five gurudwaras that have a very special significance for the Sikh community. The first and the most important was established by Guru Hargobind in 1609, 'Akal Takht' and is just opposite the gate of Harmandir Sahib – The Golden Temple, Amritsar. While the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple, represents Sikh spiritual guidance, the Akal Takht symbolizes the dispensing of justice and temporal activity. It is the highest seat of temporal authority of the Khalsa and the seat of the Sikh religion's earthly authority. There, the Guru held his court and decided matters of military strategy and political policy. Later on, the Sikh Nation took decisions here on matters of peace and war and settled disputes between the various Sikh groups. The Sarangi singers sung the ballads of the Sikh Gurus and warriors at the place and robes of honour (saropas) were awarded to persons who rendered distinguished services of the community of men in general. In December 2010, the Deccan Odyssey train, taken on charter from Government of Maharashtra, started with the aim to have a journey across four Sikh takhts, with a flight by devout and sightseers to the fifth takht. A special train named Panj Takht Special train for the pilgrimage of five Sikh takhts, was flagged off on 16 February 2014.
Balwant Singh Nandgarh is a Sikh politician and Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, one of five seats of temporal authority of Sikhism.
Dalvir Singh Khangura is former MLA from Dhuri, Sangrur District, Punjab. He got elected for the seat in the 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election. He is a politician in Indian National Congress. Dalvir Singh Khangura, known as "Goldy", was born on 24 September 1982 in a Jat Sikh family in Dhuri, District Sangrur, Punjab India. He has done his schooling from S.V.M., Dhuri. He later joined S.D. College, Chandigarh and did his Graduation and PGDCA.
Parkash Singh Badal is an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of Punjab state from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017. He is also the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. He was the president of the party from 1995 to 2008, when he was replaced by his son Sukhbir Singh Badal. As the patron of SAD he exercises a strong influence on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. The Government of India awarded him the second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, in 2015.
The 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration refers to a series of desecration incidents of the Sikh Guru Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent protests that took place in Punjab, India in October 2015, although it is known as the 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration it started from 2014 and continues till 2021. The first incident of desecration was reported from Bargari, Faridkot district, where 110 torn Angs of the holy Guru were found on 12 October. On the early morning hours of 14 October, two Sikhs were peacefully protesting and were shot dead by the police as the protesters were sitting in demonstration.
Harpal Singh Cheema is an Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Dirba Assembly constituency located in Sangrur District, Punjab. In March 2022, he became first dalit to be a finance minister of Punjab. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party just before the 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election. He contested and won the election from Dirba Assembly constituency against a popular Punjabi Kabbadi player Gulzar Singh Moonak from Shiromani Akali Dal and Ajaib Singh Ratolan from Indian National Congress. In July 2018 he was appointed leader of opposition of Punjab Legislative Assembly. He is considered as the Second-in command in the Government
Jagdev Singh Talwandi was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1978 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. Talwandi was elected SAD president in 1978 and 1988. He became the President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2000. He was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha thrice in 1967, 1969, and 1972, and was inducted as a Minister of State for Development and Animal Husbandry in the Gurnam Singh Ministry and the Minister of State for Jails, Sports and Transport in the Parkash Singh Badal government. He represented Punjab in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1986.
Arvind Khanna is an Indian politician, business magnate and philanthropist. Khanna is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is a senior leader of the BJP and a prominent figure in BJP Punjab. Khanna is noted politically for his financial resources and philanthropy. He has also served as the member of legislative assembly (MLA) from Sangrur (2002-2007) and from Dhuri (2012-2015), as the General Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and as the PPCC treasurer. Khanna's business interests are in the defence, aerospace, technology and software industries. His NGO, Umeed, is one of the largest NGOs in Punjab.
Barinder Kumar Goyal Vakeel is an Indian politician and the MLA representing the Lehra Assembly constituency in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. He is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. He has contested the election in 1992 but lost to Rajinder Kaur Bhatthal. But in 2022, against him Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhatthal, ex CM, was not able to save her deposit money. He defeated S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, sitting MLA and ex. cabinet minister, Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhatthal, ex CM and S. Gobind Singh Longowal, ex President of SGPC ex cabinet Minister with a huge margin. He is chairman of committee on subordinate legislation. He is known for his words and his social services. Before this, Barinder Kumar Goyal has made a local level social manch named as Lehra Vikas Manch (LVM). LVM contested the elections of municipal council of Lehra in Feb 2021 and surprised the Punjab with the results. During these elections, perhaps Lehra was the only municipality in Punjab, where the ruling party was not able to prove the majority. He was elected as the MLA in the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election.
Harjit Singh Grewal is an Indian Politician and Member of Bhartiya Janta Party. He is one of the senior leader of the Bhartiya Janta Party. He served as the State Vice President of the Bhartiya Janta Party of the Punjab. He is currently serving as a member of the National Executive of the Bhartiya Janata Party.
