SANGRAAND
Word ‘Sangraand’ is a derivation of the Sanskrit word ‘Samkrantih’, which means: meeting, union, change, movement, passing of a planet (especially sun) from one house of zodiac to another.
In common usage, it means the first day of each month of the Bikrami calendar. Some Hindus consider it an auspicious day. They visit their temples to worship because, to them, that day’s worship has special significance.
Sangraand has no importance in Sikhism; no day is auspicious or inauspicious for a Sikh. Some ignorant or phony Sikhs hold special gathering in Gurdwaras on the day of Sangraand, apparently in contradiction to the Sikh philosophy.
It is strange that the Sikh intelligentsia has not shown courage to ask the leadership of the nation to stop mutilation of the Sikh ideology. It is shocking that the Dhram Parchaar Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) passed, released and enforced an anti-Sikh calendar (prepared by Comrade Pal Singh Purewal) in 2003, which not only asked the Sikhs to observe anti-Sikh days of Sangraand, Massiya and Pooranmaasi. The S.G.P.C. too celebrates these three day in the Gurdwaras under its management.
Also see: Sikh Festivals.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)