Politics over nomenclature of Veer Bal Diwas, Centre tell states to host events in schools
CHANDIGARH: Politics has erupted over the nomenclature of Veer Bal Diwas after the Union government wrote to all states and Union Territories directing them to organise activities in schools on Friday to mark the day, which commemorates the martyrdom of the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Despite demands from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Akal Takht, the Congress, several Members of Parliament and Sikh scholars seeking a change in the nomenclature, the Centre has refused to rename Veer Bal Diwas. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has rejected the demand, hitting back at its former ally SAD, saying the name was acceptable earlier and became objectionable only after the alliance broke. In a letter sent last week to additional chief secretaries and secretaries of the departments of school education and literacy under the Union Ministry of Education, schools were instructed to organise activities such as drawing, storytelling, essay writing, poem recitation, debates and digital presentations. The instructions apply to all schools, including Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. Veer Bal Diwas is organised annually as a nationwide initiative dedicated to honouring children as the foundation of Indias future. This initiative emphasises nurturing young minds and inspiring them to contribute to the vision of a Viksit Bharat, the letter said. In a subsequent communication dated December 22, the ministry said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the main event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday. On January 9, 2022, the Union government designated December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas to honour the supreme sacrifice of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of the 10th Sikh Guru, who were martyred in 1705 at the ages of nine and six, respectively. Delhi Shiromani Akali Dal chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said the demand to rename the observance as Sahibzadey Shahadat Diwas was rooted in historical accuracy, ethical reasoning and the partys long-held position. Sarna recalled that in 2019, the SAD had formally supported replacing Bal Diwas, earlier observed on the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, with a national observance marking the martyrdom of the Sahibzadey of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. There is no inconsistency, as is being alleged, Sarna said. The party has always maintained that the martyrdom of Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh deserved national recognition. When the Centre instituted Veer Bal Diwas, it acknowledged that position. At the same time, the name attached to a commemoration carries weight, because language shapes how history is understood. He said the phrase Veer Bal, while emotionally evocative, was broad and imprecise and risked obscuring the specific historical event being marked. This is not a general observance of childhood courage. It commemorates a recorded shaheedi in which the Sahibzadey were bricked alive for refusing to renounce their faith. The term Sahibzadey Shahadat Diwas conveys that reality directly, without dilution, he said. Sarna added that aligning the national observance with the terminology Sahibzadey Shahadat Diwas, as articulated by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, would strengthen public understanding. Recognition without precision reduces history to abstraction. Precision itself is a form of respect, he said. Meanwhile, AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, wrote to Prime Minister Modi on December 9 on the issue. Akal Takhts acting jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, also wrote to Sikh MPs urging them to formally request a name change. Congress MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, strongly objected to commemorating the martyrdom of the Sahibzadey under the name Veer Bal Diwas, saying it undermines the historical, spiritual and moral magnitude of their sacrifice. Responding to the controversy, BJP Punjab state spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal issued a rebuttal to the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Citing an earlier public tweet by Harsimrat, Baliawal said she herself had advocated commemorating the martyrdom of the Sahibzadey under the title Bal Diwas in 2019. He questioned why a term considered appropriate by the Akali Dal until then had suddenly become objectionable after the breakdown of the BJPSAD alliance. Baliawal further pointed out that in 2018, during an event organised at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had expressed concurrence with the name Bal Diwas. He said the present opposition by the Akali Dal contradicted its own earlier stand. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also defended the Centres decision, saying the existing name appropriately honours the supreme martyrdom of the Sahibzadey.
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