COURTESY HT JAN 5

Calendar controversy: Govt admits its mistake
HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

CHANDIGARH : A day after Sobha Singh Art Gallery objected to the use of an image of Guru Tegh Bahadur on the official calendar for 2021 without authorisation, the Punjab government admitted its mistake on Monday and expressed regret. In a letter to Sobha Singh’s daughter Gurcharan Kaur, Punjab information and public relations (IPR) secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said that they respect the copyright and will no longer use the artist’s impressions in the paintings.

Kaur had objected to the “unauthorised use” of the image on the official government calendar, calling it a “clear-cut case of copyright infringement”.

Gurkirat said a digital copy of the painting was downloaded from a website where there was no mention of copyright. He said that since September 1, 2020, the IPR department had been publishing a calendar of events dedicated in memory of the Guru in newspapers on the first of every month, but no objection was raised in this period.

“However, this cannot be undone now and the department can only regret the same. But the department will also urge you to recognise the noble and not-for-profit intent of government,” he wrote. Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh had unveiled the calendar last week, dedicating it to the 400th birth anniversary