Commodore D S Sodhi , NM (Retd)
The Birth and the resting place of the founder of Sikh religion Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji are both in Pakistan. With the creation of Pakistan, the Sikhs lost something very precious. Guru Nanak Dev ji made Kartarpur Sahib, (Land of Kartar, God the Creator ) his abode towards the later part of his life and it was here that he left for his heavenly abode. The present Gurdwara that stands tall has been built to commemorate the stay of Guru Nanak at Kartarpur Sahib, Narowal district Punjab Pakistan. After the partition, the minority Hindus and Sikhs living there migrated to India and many Muslims from India settled in Kartarpur Sahib. It is believed that Karoria Mal also called Duni Chand had met Guru Nanak at Pakhoke and offered 100 acres of land to the Guru who made it his abode and named it Kartarpur. It was here that Guru Started the tradition of Guru Ka Langar (Free Kitchen). The Guru ka Langar was started with belief in equality of every man and woman since the society had been divided on the basis of caste, creed and wealth. The food for the Langer was grown, prepared and served by the Sangat with members taking turns as volunteers. When Guru Nanak Left for his heavenly abode, his followers, Hindus and Muslims who initially fought claiming the body for final rites, finally decided to place flowers on his body overnight and whose flowers would wither would lose the claim. Next morning when the sheet was removed, the followers were amazed to find that the body of the Guru was missing and all flowers were fresh. The two communities divided the sheet and flowers and completed the final rites as per their faith. Presently both a grave and a Samad coexist at Kartarpur Sahib.
The Bedi decedents of Guru Nanak Dev Ji built a new town and named it Dera Baba Nanak after their great ancestor. Guru Nanak after his first Udassi had come to Pakho- Ke Randhawa village near Dera Baba Nanak to meet his family who were staying at their maternal home. Presently Gurdwara Sri Dera Baba Nanak Sahib commemorating the visit of Guru Nanak to this area stands tall here. What separates the two Gurdwaras on either side of the border is the Magnificent river Ravi that flows in her own command raising her levels at times as if she wants to pay her tribute to Guru Ji and have a darshan of Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib. These two Gurdwaras have also witnessed the wars of 1965 and 1971 fought between India and Pakistan. Partition that witnessed bloodshed of many also resulted in depriving the devotees in India and Pakistan to pay homage at various religious place which had free access earlier. What is more relevant is that some of these Shrines are of great significance for humanity. The Sikhs in their Daily prayer talk about pilgrimage to the holy Shrines that have been separated from them and lie on either side of the borders.
Kartarpur Sahib was located in one of the four tehsils of undivided Gurdaspur. The population distribution of erstwhile greater Punjab was such that no line could actually divide Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs since it was just one mixed cauldron of humanity which lived together for centuries. Sir Cyril Radcliffe divided the land in erstwhile Punjab and drew a line. The Radcliffe line that became a border between India and Pakistan was tragically at times drawn leaving a part of the same village in India and the other part in Pakistan cutting through communities and families leaving deep and indelible scars.
In her book “Borders and Conflicts in South Asia, The Radcliffe Boundary Commission and the Partition of Punjab “, Lucy Chester has offered an interesting insight into how Radcliffe felt when leaving India quoting “I station myself firmly on the Delhi Airport until an Airplane from England comes along. Nobody in India will love me for my award about the Punjab and Bengal and there will be roughly 80 million with a grievance who will begin looking for me. I do not want them to find me. I have worked and travelled and sweated -oh I have sweated the whole time”. It also finds mention that whilst dividing Gurdaspur, it was opined that it would have been difficult rather impossible to have a direct rail/road communication with J&K State with the three tehsils of Gurdaspur (Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot) also going to Pakistan. So, it was Shakargarh that went to Pakistan with Ravi dividing it. The bridge that existed on river Ravi and connected Kartarpur Sahib and Dera Baba Nanak was destroyed in 1965 war.
Mr Haroon Khalid author of the book Walking with Nanak in an article “How Nanak’s Muslim followers in Pakistan never abandoned Kartarpur Sahib, his final Resting place ” writes that Ravi flows in Pakistan for few kilometres after which it enters Indian territory constantly flirting with the international border before it finally decides to settle in Pakistan. He writes that even when the shrine fell to floods, smugglers and drug addicts, Muslim devotees never failed to leave offerings at the Guru’s Grave. He further goes on to write that Muslims at all the other Gurdwaras have been disallowed because of security reasons, however here at the final resting place of Guru Nanak, his Muslim devotees continue to visit him, keeping alive the legacy of Nanak in its true essence
Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara was thrown open to the pilgrims from India as an outcome of the visit of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Pakistan in the year 1999. The long overdue demand of the Sikh Community to open the Kartarpur Corridor for Pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur seems to be reality soon with the Govt of India announcing its plan to set up Kartarpur Corridor and Pakistan also having responded in positive to set up the Corridor at their end. The Indian Government intends to build Kartarpur Corridor as an integrated development project. This indeed could be a step forward in the right direction from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmity to friendship. This announcement has been hailed by people of all faiths and is considered a big development towards maintaining peace and tranquility between India and Pakistan. With the announcements by both the governments, it becomes the responsibility of the lovers of humanity to make it happen with earnest efforts. PM Narendra Modi whilst speaking at a function celebrating birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji hoped the Kartarpur corridor would act as a bridge between India and Pakistan. He hoped that the corridor might lead to a better future between the two countries, Underlining the strength of people-to-people contact, the prime minister said,” Had anyone ever thought that the Berlin Wall would fall. May be with the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, this Kartarpur corridor will not just remain a corridor, but act as a bridge between the people of the two countries.” No one had ever thought that the east and west Germany would ever unite as also that North Korea and South Korea would shake hands but it has happened.
When Mr. Imran khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan, hopes were raised that he could make a difference in Indo Pak relations, however a number of ceasefire violations across the border again raised questions and an offer for talks was again put aside. Presently Pakistan has been facing a threat of alienation in the international scenario with America making things difficult and China also raising concerns. The Socio-political scene for Pakistan is becoming difficult. The economic condition of Pakistan too is in such a state that literally the country is on her knees for economic support for survival. It appears that the Military and the present Government want to improve relations with the neighbors to come out of the crisis they have landed in. I Would put it that this gesture on part of the Pakistan to build Kartarpur Corridor at their side may not only be on religious sentiments but on a larger interest towards much needed cooperation and friendship. I consider it to be a very important confidence building measure. Mr. Navjot Singh on his return from Pakistan had justified his “Hugging” Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa saying that it was General Bajwa who gave him this news of intent of opening the Kartarpur Corridor on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary and he reacted emotionally in the moment. Today one could connect with this incident in a positive manner. Opening of the Corridor would entail constructing a bridge on river Ravi. From military point of view, I appreciate that in any conflict such a bridge could be of more disadvantage to a weaker nation. By accepting this proposal, I consider that Pakistan has moved a step forward with a positive and friendly intent.
Mumbai Attack incident and the follow up thereafter as well as the present situation in Kashmir have created an atmosphere of mistrust and continue to harm Indo Pakistan relations. The political Dispensation in both the countries should therefore encash on this noble intent build up faith and confidence in each other’s functioning and intentions. Though things may not change overnight however one could say a job well begun is half done. Pakistan has gone another step forward in extending the invite to the Indian Side for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on the Pakistan Side. The Indian side mindful of the sentiments of our Sikh Community and the importance of facilitating their smooth and easy access to holy Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib has accepted the invite and decided to send Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Food Processing and Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of state (IC) for Housing and Urban Affairs as Government of India’s Representatives for the event planned for 28 November 2018.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled in all the four directions spreading the message of peace and brotherhood advocating that God is one. His bani needs to be understood and followed in the present-day environment where countries, states are at war on issues related to religion I consider opening of Kartarpur Sahib a development of huge importance towards peace building process between the two nations as also it may show some direction towards resolution of conflict and proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, the Land visited and blessed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji in his third Udassi (Travel). For the benefit of readers Guru Nanak Dev Ji is supposed to have entered Jammu and Kashmir through Damchuk Ladakh after having visited Kailash and Mansarovar. Guru Nanak is supposed to have visited Ladakh, Kargil Skardu Harmukh Ganga, Srinagar Awantipur, Bij Behara, Anantnag, Mattan Amarnath, Machail, Badarwah, Ramnagar, Chenani, Vaishnodevi (Adkawari), Jammu, Purmandal Mansar, Jasrota (to Name a few) and returned to Gurdaspur. Finally, I also hope that opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor would also open the avenues for the long pending demand of the Kashmiri Pandits for Pilgrimage to Sharda Temple in PoK.
(The writer is an Author, Social Activist and Defence Analyst. His views are Personal)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel