Gurugram: Sikhism taught people to focus on values, teachings, and contributions of individuals rather than glorifying their physical existence through memorials, former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh said days after he wrote to Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur suggesting that the idea of memorials is contrary to the values of Sikhism.
“Our Gurus emphasized equality and collective remembrance rather than personal adulation,” Tarlochan Singh told ThePrint over the phone Wednesday, amid Congress party’s demand for a smarak (memorial) for the former prime minister.
Manmohan Singh passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on 26 December at the age of 92.
In his letter to Gursharan Kaur, Tarlochan Singh emphasised that traditionally, Sikhs do not build memorials or samadhis (mausoleums) for individuals, regardless of their stature or contributions. This practice, he said, aligns with the egalitarian principles of Sikhism, which shun idol worship and discourage the veneration of individuals through physical structures.
He reportedly wrote the letter in response to discussions and plans for the construction of a memorial in honour of Dr Singh, which, he argued, are contrary to Sikh traditions and beliefs. “In this hour of grief only Gurbani is the solace. By Satguru’s blessings you recite Kirtan yourself. Dr Sahib has reached heaven and is sitting at the feet of Satguru Nanak Dev ji,” Tarlochan Singh wrote in his letter, a copy of which is with ThePrint.
A former chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, Tarlochan Singh is not affiliated to any political party. In 2004, he entered the Rajya Sabha as an Independent, supported by the INLD, the BJP and the BSP. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2021.
“There is great confusion about the use of the word memorial which I think is improper. In the entire Rajghat area there are only one foot high platforms of each of the President and Prime Minister who were cremated there. No structure of any kind has been put up there. I pleaded that cremation of Dr Sahib may take place in the Rajghat area. You are aware that in Sikh religion even samadhi is not allowed. The Sikh religious leaders have not accepted even the one of Giani Zail Singh,” said the letter.
He suggested in his letter that the family and Dr Singh’s admirers could instead propose the setting up of a school of economics or administration in Delhi in honour of the former Prime Minister for students from India and around the world. “A permanent exhibition on the life and works of Dr Sahib can be part of that,” he wrote to Gursharan Kaur.
Memorials and samadhis are seen by many as contrary to principles of Sikhism, founded by Guru Nanak Dev in the 15th century. Historically, Sikhs have honoured their Gurus and martyrs by remembering their teachings and sacrifices rather than through physical monuments.
A day after Dr Singh’s death, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suggest that the government set up a memorial to honour the legacy of Modi’s predecessor. The Congress also posted the letter on ‘X’.
आज कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @kharge ने प्रधानमंत्री जी और गृह मंत्री से फ़ोन पर बात करके व एक पत्र लिख कर भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस की ओर से पुरज़ोर अनुरोध किया कि भारत के सपूत सरदार मनमोहन सिंह जी का अंतिम संस्कार व स्मारक स्थापित करना ही उनको सच्ची श्रद्धांजलि होगी। pic.twitter.com/pNxh5txf0b
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 27, 2024
Later, Congress leaders criticized the government’s handling of Dr Singh’s cremation at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi, describing it as a “shocking display” of disrespect and mismanagement—a charge the BJP denied.
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