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| Sukhwinder Kaur and Beant Kaur, two students of Akal College of Spirituality, performed Sri Akhand Paath Sahib in one sitting from 1 to 3 July, 2010 at Baru Sahib during the Barsi Samagam of Sant Teja Singh Ji. On the completion of Sri Akhand Paath Sahibs, both of them were presented with Siropao by Iqbal Singh (Baba) in a large congregation gathered in the Diwan hall. Baba ji lauded their unique effort. Earlier also in the year 2008 during the 300 years of the Gurta Gaddi Divas, 60 girls had performed similar feat of completing individually Sri Akhand Paath Sahib in one sitting. |
Two Sikh girls, Sukhwinder Kaur and Beant Kaur, both students of Akal College of Spirituality in India have been honored for their incredible achievement of reading a solo Akhand Paath from the first through third of July 2010.
For those of you who many not know, an Akhand Paath is an unbroken reading of Siri Guru Granth Sahib the Sikh scripture and everlasting Guru of the Sikhs. The pages of the scripture are respectfully referred to as pannaa or ang meaning part of the Guru's body. On average, it takes 48 hours to complete an Akhand Paath which is usually read non-stop by a team of four or more readers, reading by turns. One who is proficient in reading Gurmukhi script may be able to read on average about 30 ang (pages) in an hour, and of course there are some faster who can read 40 and others like me who are slower and only able to read 20 at best.
Reading is done aloud while sitting cross legged. I've sat when inspired and read for a long as four hours. A group of us once visited a gurdwara where an Akhand Paath was being read by a Singh who had been sitting for 22 hours and reading non-stop. I found it amazing, not that someone could be so devoted with rapt attention, but that their body, especially knees, could endure sitting for so many hours straight. Amazingly Sukhwinder Kaur and Beant Kaur are not the only Sikh girls to accomplish the incredible feat of reading a solo Akhand Paath in 48 hours. In 2008, during Guru Gadee festivities honoring Guru Granth Sahib's 300th year inauguration celebration, 60 girls performed similar solo Akhand Paaths.