Sewadars will help tourists in clicking pics: SGPC chief secy
Special places to be fixed for lensmen
AMRITSAR : A day after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) decided to prohibit photography and videography inside the Golden Temple, its chief secretary Roop Singh on Tuesday made it clear that despite prohibition, the ‘sewadars’ (SGPC employees) would help those who want to click the memory of visit to the shrine with devotion and respect.
The photography and videography is already prohibited inside the sanctum sanctorum and on the passage from ‘Darshani Deodi’ to sanctum sanctorum. However, it was allowed in ‘parkarma’ of the sarovar (holy tank) and devotees could be seen taking selfies, clicking pictures and shooting videos with their smartphones. The SGPC now has put up a notice in three languages — Punjabi, English and Hiindi — prohibiting photography and videography in the precincts of the Golden Temple.
The prohibition remained topic of discussion in the Sikh segments and devotees on Tuesday. Giving detailed rationale behind this move, Roop Singh said, the step has been taken keeping in view the sentiments of sangat (devotees). “Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib is not only a source of spiritualism for the world, but is also a central religious place of the Sikhs. The devotees who visit the shrine with devotion, were approaching us repeatedly to ban the photography and videography,” he said.
“This move should be seen as taken to uphold sacredness of the shrine. This is not a tourist place. The sangat also comes here to pray in the spiritual atmosphere of the shrine. To prevent any kind of disturbance and inconvenience to devotees, the ban has been imposed,” he insisted. He, however, made it clear that “if anybody wants to click the photo with devotion and respect, the sewadars will be helping them do so. The prohibition is applicable for unruly and indiscipline photography”.
He added that special places have been fixed for photojournalists and cameramen.
Meanwhile, many devotees were seen defying the orders of SGPC and its sewadars were seen restraining them from doing so.