The movie has also been banned in UK bowing to the sentiments of the Sikh community. Incidentally, Guru Nanak and the movie shunned violence but the modern protectors of our religion think nothing of keeping their flock together through threat of violence.Īnd, as I write this, Harinder Sikka after receiving directions from Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has decided to withdraw the movie for the time being even though he had earlier decided to go ahead with the release of the movie on 17th April with the above poster despite opposition from SGPC, DSGMC and Akal Takht mainly because portrayal of Sikh Gurus on the celluloid is not permitted. They don’t keep you intact because of common culture and love but because of threat of violence in case you don’t listen to them. They are as much out of sync as various Hindu organisations including militant ones who tell you what is acceptable to Hindus. (Poster courtesy: SGPC and other organisations haven’t seen the writing on the wall if they feel that they are intermediaries between us and God. Whilst discussing the ills of Kalyug over Satyug, Guru Nanak brought out that there is a great positive in Kakyug which is that whilst in Satyug you required someone to pray for you, in Kalyug you are one to one with God. The above were my first reactions on seeing the premiere of Harinder Sikka’s Nanak Shah Fakir on 16th April 2015 in PVR, Juhu, Mumbai and the ban on the movie in Punjab engineered by SGPC (Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee) and a few other organisations ostensibly representing the best interests of Sikhs. However, it appears that the Devil is perhaps as strong and more wily than God that people easily become the followers of the former and require reminders, again and again, to align themselves with God.
The more anyone would want to liberate the world from ritualistic adherence to religion, the more anyone would desire a world free from fundamentalist hydra-heads, the more these mushroom everywhere. Historically, when Mankind drifted away from God and Godliness, many right-minded saints, gurus and incarnations of God Himself descended on earth to show the right path to the people. Religious controversies, however, are not just an Indian phenomenon all over the world, religious fervour and fanaticism can result into tempers running high, killings and violence in the name of God and Religion. If you listen to a news hour debate anchored by Arnab Goswami, for example, you would conclude that he, by himself, can account for a major part of global-warming. Our news channels generate enough in a week to last us a few lifetimes. India is a nation of debates, discussions and controversies.