Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is set to implement a directive from the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, to ensure that Nishan Sahib flags at gurdwaras display either surmai (navy blue) or basanti (a shade of yellow) colors. This move aims to end confusion over the flag's colors and align with the Panth Parwanit Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of conduct).
The process of replacing the flags in SGPC-managed gurdwaras will begin soon.
"The colour of Nishan Sahib was yellow earlier. We can’t say when it was changed. In the early 1980s, the shade turned darker and it became kesri gradually. The present colour is similar to bhagwa that relates to Hinduism", said Waryam Singh, a Sikh scholar and former SGPC secretary.
A resolution was passed during a meeting of Panj Singh Sahiban (Sikh clergy) on July 15, directing the SGPC to enforce this change. The SGPC's Dharam Parchar Committee has issued a circular to Sikh preachers to raise awareness among the community and gurdwara managements about the correct colors.
Currently, most gurdwaras display kesri (saffron) colored Nishan Sahib flags, but the Akal Takht has instructed the SGPC to restore the original colors.
A section of the Sikh community has long argued that the saffron color is not the original color of the Khalsa and violates the 'maryada'. The twin Nishan Sahib flags at Jhanda Bunga Sahib gurdwara, near the Golden Temple, will also be changed to comply with the directive.
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