33 years after Bluestar: Sikh library at Golden Temple thriving, and how
Nearly destructed during Operation Bluestar in the Golden Temple complex in 1984, the Sikh Reference Library has since not only been revived, but it now has double the number of books, including rare manuscripts, than it did before the army action to flush out militants.
It was established by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 1946, and in 1984 it was alleged that the army took all the items except some newspapers from the library. The SGPC has since moved the Union government several times to seek recovery of the items, including handwritten manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib and hukamnamas (edicts) with signatures of the Sikh Gurus.
However, since the library hit headlines for the arson it faced in the operation, people started donating more documents and books, reveals data assessed by HT. Before 1984, it had 12,613 books, with 10% of those being manuscripts on general issues. Plus, it had 512 manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib’s birs (copies). The total stood at 13,125.
In the 33 years, 540 manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib have been collected, besides 24,000 other books and documents, including 1,200 general manuscripts. Thus, the total number has risen to 24,540 as of September this year. The books are not only related to Sikh religion but Indian culture at large too.
While the SGPC collected some books on its own, individuals too donated, prominent being Prof Surjit Singh, Prof Parkash Singh, and historian Sangat Singh, who donated 3,000, 450 and 750 books, respectively, said Bagicha Singh, the librarian.
Around 5,000 books were shifted from Guru Ram Das Library, also run by the SGPC near the Golden Temple, to this library. Many rare manuscripts were provided by Narinder Singh who collects such birs. This library is only meant for the research scholars, hence the material is not allowed to be carried outside, says its website.