ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>CENTRAL M&#256JH&#256 KH&#256LS&#256 D&#298W&#256N</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="CENTRAL,MJH"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279CENTRAL M&#256JH&#256 <u>KH</u>&#256LS&#256 D&#298W&#256N, also known as the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Panth Mila&#363&#7751&#299 Jath&#257, was one of the several regional organizations that came into being on the eve of the Gurdw&#257r&#257 reform movement of the 1920's.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n in the M&#257jh&#257 area had in fact been established as early as 1904, but it had merged with the Chief Kh&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n three years later. Upon its revival in 1918 as Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, it concerned itself mainly with reforming the ceremonial in Sikh holy places, especially at Tarn T&#257ran and Amritsar. With its headquarters at K&#299ratanga&#7771h, near Amritsar, the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n claimed a membership of over 1200 <i>amritdhar&#299 </i> Sikhs from the central M&#257jh&#257 districts of Lahore, Amritsar and Gurd&#257spur. The D&#299w&#257n had a collegiate executive of five persons, called Pañj Pi&#257re, elected at a plenary meeting held during March every year. Leaders from outside central M&#257jh&#257 such as Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar from Shei <u>kh</u>&#363p&#363r&#257 <i>b&#257r</i> area and Master Mot&#257 Si&#7749gh from the Do&#257b&#257 also lent their support and participated in the meetings of the D&#299w&#257n. Prominent among its own leaders were Jathed&#257r Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar and the Jhab&#257l brothers, Amar Si&#7749gh, Sarmukh Si&#7749gh and Jaswant Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The <i>modus operandi</i> of the D&#299w&#257n was to hold religious congregations at different places on important Sikh anniversaries and other festivals and to provide services of <i>granth&#299s, r&#257g&#299s</i> and <i>prach&#257raks</i> for functions such as Akha&#7751&#7693 P&#257&#7789hs, initiation ceremonies and marriages, etc. A regular feature was the monthly <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> on <i>am&#257vasy&#257</i>, the last day of the dark half of the lunar month, within the precincts of the Darb&#257r S&#257hib at Tarn T&#257ran. The refrain of the D&#299w&#257n speeches used to be criticism of the superstitious rites and ceremonies which had taken hold of the Sikh masses and of the malpractices in the administration of the shrines. The clerics in charge of the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> resented this reformist propaganda. Their persistent opposition forced the Central M&#257jh&#257 D&#299w&#257n to change the venue of their monthly meeting in Tarn T&#257ran from the Darb&#257r S&#257hib to one of the nearby <i>bu&#7749g&#257s</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At the annual meeting of the D&#299w&#257n held at the village of Bhuchchar in March 1919, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar was elected Jathed&#257r, with four others to assist him. A few days later, on 13 April 1919, occurred the Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> tragedy in the holy city of Amritsar which sent a wave of shock and anger across the entire country. The Sikhs had a further cause for offence when they learnt that Brigadier General Dyer who had ordered the Amritsar shooting had been received and honoured by the Sarbar&#257h, or manager and the priests of the Darb&#257r S&#257hib and that an address of welcome had been presented to the Lieut-Governor of the Punjab, Sir Michael O' Dwyer. A public agitation started against the Sarbar&#257h. The Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n took an active part in it and proposed social boycott of all those Sikhs who had been a party to the honour bestowed on General Dyer or to the address presented to the Lieut-Governor.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the Gurdw&#257r&#257 reform movement got under way, the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n was the first to swing into action. Its leaders, Jathed&#257r Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar and Amar Si&#7749gh Jhab&#257l with a <i>jath&#257</i> of 25 reached Si&#257lko&#7789 and liberated Gurdw&#257r&#257 B&#257be d&#299 Ber on 5-6 October 1920. When Sr&#299 Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t was occupied by the reformists on 12 October the same year, the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n offered to administer it, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar becoming its first Jathed&#257r. Amar Si&#7749gh Jhab&#257l accompanied Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar in November 1920 to liberate Gurdw&#257r&#257 Pañj&#257 S&#257hib at Hasan Abd&#257l. Towards the end of November 1920, Gurdw&#257r&#257 Bh&#257&#299 Jog&#257 Si&#7749gh at Pesh&#257war was taken over through the initiative of Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n lent full support to the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Rik&#257bgañj agitation revived after the end of World War I. Sard&#363l Si&#7749gh Caveeshar asked, through the columns of the <i>Ak&#257l&#299</i>, for 100 volunteers for a <i>Sh&#257h&#299d&#299 jath&#257</i>, i. e. band of martyrs, to march to Delhi and reconstruct on 1 December 1920 the demolished wall of Gurdw&#257r&#257 Rik&#257bgañj if the government failed to restore it by that date. The Jhab&#257l brothers endorsed the proposal, repeated the call at conventions held by the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n and enrolled volunteers for the <i>jath&#257</i>. The government, however, had the wall rebuilt before the <i>jath&#257</i> intervened. When the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal was formed, on 14 December 1920, to coordinate the work of regional Ak&#257l&#299 groups, Sarmukh Si&#7749gh Jhab&#257l of the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n was elected its first president.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The reform of the administration of Sr&#299 Darb&#257r S&#257hib at Tarn T&#257ran had since the days of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n M&#257jh&#257 (1904-07) been a live issue. On 26 January 1921, Jathed&#257r Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar led a <i>jath&#257</i> of 40 volunteers to Tarn T&#257ran. Through the mediation of Bh&#257&#299 Mohan Si&#7749gh Vaid negotiations began between the reformist Ak&#257l&#299s and the clerics in control of the shrine, but they remained inconclusive. The latter resorted to force and suddenly fell upon Bhuchchar's <i>jath&#257</i> in the evening with lethal weapons. Nineteen Ak&#257l&#299s were injured two of whom later died. Of these first two martyrs who died in the cause of Gurdw&#257r&#257 reform, Bh&#257&#299 Hukam Si&#7749gh of Vas&#257&#363ko&#7789, in Gurd&#257spur district, was a member of the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n. The Darb&#257r S&#257hib at Tarn T&#257ran passed under Ak&#257l&#299 management.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then followed the massacre at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib (20 February 1921) and the transfer of the control of the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> there into the hands of the reformists. The Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n deputed its volunteers to assist the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> administration at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib for several months. It was there that in a meeting held in March 1921, the M&#257jh&#257 D&#299w&#257n approved a motion affiliating itself to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal. It also passed a resolution of non-co-operation and called upon its members to withdraw their children from government schools. In spite of its affiliation to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal, the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n maintained its autonomous entity. At its annual elections held in April 1921, Sarmukh Si&#7749gh Jhab&#257l, with four others, was chosen Jathed&#257r. The members of the D&#299w&#257n continued to participate in the Ak&#257l&#299 campaign for the release of Sikh shrines from the control of a corrupt priestly order. During the Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> Morch&#257, the D&#299w&#257n sent a batch of 110 volunteers to face, under a vow of non-violent passive resistance, the police beating on 1 September 1922.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the emergence of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal as a viable political party, the Central M&#257jh&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, like other regional bodies, lost much of its relevance. Some members left it altogether, while others were absorbed in the district Ak&#257l&#299 <i>jath&#257s</i> which now formed constituent branches of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal. There are still some carrying on under the old banner, holding fast to their old schedule of monthly congregations at Tarn T&#257ran on the day of <i>am&#257vasy&#257</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Mohinder Singh, <i>The Akali Movement</i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Sahni, Ruchi Ram, <i>Struggle for Reform in Sikh Shrines</i>. Ed. Ganda Singh. Amritsar, n. d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sudh&#257r arth&#257t Ak&#257l&#299 Lahir</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Josh, Sohan Si&#7749gh, <i>Ak&#257l&#299 Morchi&#257&#7749 d&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Delhi, 1972<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>