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Worship in the Golden Temple to be telecast live worldwide

By Satinder Bains, Indo-Asian News Service

Chandigarh, Nov 5 (IANS) Sikhs in many countries will be able to watch live devotional services in the Golden Temple in the northern Indian city of Amritsar from November 14, thanks to Punjabi television channel ETC.

Around 150 countries will have access to ETC that plans to telecast the Gurbani Kirtan, recitation of rhymes from the Guru Granth Sahib, at the Golden Temple, Sikhdom¿s holiest shrine.

Earlier ETC was telecasting recorded and edited versions of the recitation.

Kiranjot Kaur, general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikh religious parliament, said the direct telecast would be beamed from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. IST.

She said the Jalandhar station of All India Radio was already broadcasting the service live from 4.30 a.m. to 6.30 a.m. daily.

ETC president Rabindra Narayan, who visited Amritsar, said in some parts of North America and Europe, however, people would not be able to tune in to the telecast for now.

He said the company had paid Rs.2 million to the SGPC for exclusive telecast rights for 11 years. The SGPC would use the money to promote religious education. The SGPC has reportedly barred the channel from airing advertisements during the telecast.

"Our crew and infrastructure remained unutilised for over six months because of litigation between SPGC and a private television channel over telecast rights, and ETC suffered a loss of Rs.10 million," Narayan said.

About half-a-dozen remote digital cameras costing Rs.4.5 million have reportedly been installed inside the Golden Temple.