The birth anniversary of the fourth Sikh Guru and founder of Amritsar, Guru Ram Das, will be observed twice this year due to the continuing controversy surrounding the Nanakshahi calendar, which has led to different Gurpurab dates.The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), which follows the original Nanakshahi calendar based on the solar system, will celebrate the Gurpurab on October 9 at Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das Ji (Prakash Asthan) in Lahore’s Chuna Mandi area, the Guru’s birthplace.In contrast, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) will commemorate the occasion on October 27 according to the amended Nanakshahi calendar, which is based on lunar calculations and has the endorsement of the Akal Takht.DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka said, “We go by the dates prescribed by the calendar endorsed by the Akal Takht. Accordingly, Guru Ram Das Ji’s birth anniversary will be celebrated on October 27.”The differing dates have once again highlighted the long-standing divide within the Sikh community over the Nanakshahi calendar.Several Sikh organisations in India and abroad, including Panthic Talmel Sangathan, Akal Purakh Ki Fauj and Shabad Kirtani Jatha, have aligned with Pakistan Sikhs and will observe the Gurpurab on October 9.Jaswinder Singh Advocate, head of Akal Purakh Ki Fauj, blamed SGPC for the confusion, alleging that amendments made to the original Nanakshahi calendar had altered its character.“The original calendar was modified for political reasons. As a result, confusion persists over the dates of Gurpurab and other significant Sikh occasions,” he said.Since the amendments were introduced in 2010, disputes over the calendar have resurfaced repeatedly, resulting in differing observance dates for several Sikh religious events. Critics often describe the amended version as a return to the Bikrami calendar system under the Nanakshahi nomenclature because it incorporates lunar calculations.SGPC, however, rejects the term “amended calendar” and continues to refer to it simply as the Nanakshahi calendar. It is followed by a large section of Sikh institutions and denominations, including Nihangs, Nirmalas, Udasis and Damdami Taksal.Calling for a unified approach, Jaswinder Singh said the Sikh community worldwide should follow a single calendar for the observance of religious occasions.The Nanakshahi calendar, prepared by Canada-based Sikh scholar Pal Singh Purewal, was formally adopted by SGPC in 2003 to provide Sikhs with a distinct calendar reflecting their separate religious identity. However, amendments introduced in 2010 under pressure from various Sikh groups and leaders altered several fixed dates, reigniting a debate that continues to divide the Panth.