some singh

On your sites, you claim that after the British occupation of Punjab, the Akali Singhs were hunted out from wherever they could be found and exterminated. This is true enough. However, in other places on the site, it is stated that the Akali Nihungs were in charge of the major gurdvaras and takhts, until the 'british backed singh sabha' movement took control of the gurdvaras. This raises a few questions. First, if the akali singhs were being hunted out, then how would they be able to maintain control of the gurdvaras? Did the British just forget to look inside the gurdvaras for them? What most of us were taught (and what almost all historians say and what makes most sense) was that the real akalee singhs were mostly killed, sikhee was almost wiped out, and the control of the gurdvaray was taken by hindu oriented mahants, who were backed by the British. The singh sabha movement and gurdvara reform movements were started to take back control from these mahants. Please clarify this. Secondly, if the singh sabha movement people and the akalee morchas to take control of historic sikh shrines were British backed, then why were so many of these people killed and jailed? And why were those who were in control of the gurdvaras protected by the British? Or are you saying that this piece of history has been completely miscontrued and that it was actually the mahants running the gurdvaray that were attacked by the British? What's the stance of these websites on events like the Nankana Saahib Sakha?

Jasdev Singh, while reading your post, a question came to mind (completely unrelated to raag mallaa). You say a few leaves of sukha aren't going to make you high, so it isn't that big a deal. That seems to make sense. But then I thought, what about alchohol? A single can of beer isn't going to make someone like me drunk or even give me a 'buzz'. According to some people, it isn't really even a bujjer kurehit, as only tobacco is apparently mentioned in old rehitnamaas. As you seem to be have some sort of official standing within the taksaal, I want your official taksaal response. According to taksaal rules and your logic on the use of a few sukhaa leaves, would it be okay for me as an amritdharee to drink a beer now and then? Or to use a bit of wine in cooking occasionally? Some friends of mine used to use wine in cooking for the flavour. I don't think it could make you drunk. If some taksaalee singhs were at my house or if I was at chowk mehtaa, would they let me put some wine in the sabjee? Not for medicinal use or anything, just for flavour or some beer as a thirst quencher on a hot day. Jasdev Singh, if you could respond, I would really appreciate it.

I've just reading this forum. Interesting. Narsingh, you really have a way with words. Reading singh 132's point about kavi santokh singh, I got a totally different understanding than Narsingh. The kavi santokh singh reference was just to show that the raag malaa debate has been going on long before AKJ. It wasn't to say that the kavi santokh singh reference is the main point or even close to being the main point in them not believing in raag malaa. My own parents were and are very pro raag malaa and always taught me this. Then I started meeting some sikh missionaries in the community and they used to question raag maala (these people had nothing to do with akj and I didn't even know about AKJ much at that point). They brought up all sorts of points against raag maala, and used to mention how scholars like Kahn Singh Nabha were against raag malaa. When I asked my parents to clarify these points, or anyone else in the community, they never could. They'd just tell me stories about so and so not believing and turn it into a group or personality thing. The same thing seems to be going on here. So and so read it, so and so didn't. If all the pro raag maala people want the entire panth to accept raag malaa (and the entire panth doesn't accept it yet, as I believe it's not currently even read at akaal takht) or at least convince people like myself, who would be more than willing to read it if someone showed us that it is guru saahib's baanee, the solution is simple. Just answer all the questions raised by various scholars. Don't give stories about so and so reading it or not reading it, who really cares about that? That's all that this thread seems to be doing, talking about jathas and personalities. Stop playing word games and trying to simply win a little debate and actually answer the concerns raised about raag maala over the last couple of centuries. That would actually serve to bring about panthic unity.