A Muslim Servant of Kartarpur Sahib
Mr. X a soldier in
Pakistan army met Guru Nanak in his dream. (Before Partition X belonged to
village Tara Garh near Batala) X left the army and went straight to
Kartarpur sahib and served the otherwise unattended shrine for many years.
This was revealed to me by Pathi Chanan Singh of Dera Baba Nanak. Pathi had
met X around 1960 when selected devotees were allowed to visit Kartarpur
sahib from India. Unfortunately the Pathi is also now no more.
We are fortunate T.S. Maini a devoted writer of Delhi has contributed a
story on Mr. X in the Indian Express daily. We reproduce the story here
under:
Please find enclosed the article. Link to the article is as follows:
TIME OUT
The ties that bind
Tridivesh Singh Maini
Posted online: Friday, April 25, 2008 at 2304 hrs
When India and Pakistan speak in human voices
Observers of the Indo-Pak peace process in general, and the CBM regime in
particular, would have come across the term “Kartarpur corridorâ€. This
has been in the news recently, because during the Baisakhi celebrations
the Pakistan government reiterated its commitment to building this
corridor. This is the corridor through which Sikh pilgrims from Dera Baba
Nanak (Indian Punjab) can visit the Kartarpur shrine (Narowal, Pakistani
Punjab) without a visa. For those not familiar with the relevance of the
Kartarpur shrine, this is the place where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18
years of his life. It was here that a lot of Hindus and Muslims became his
devotees. Before the 1965 war, Sikh pilgrims from India used to cross over
a bridge connecting Dera Baba Nanak and Narowal. After the war, the bridge
got damaged and, as a result, pilgrims could no longer pay a “visa-
free†obeisance.
I was surprised to learn two facts about Kartarpur, which illustrate the
fact that borders and nationalism cannot obliterate humanity and a common
past: First, one of the activists working for the Kartarpur corridor’s
cause told me that, for a long time, the shrine was looked after by a
Pakistani soldier and his family. This soldier connected with Sikhism after
reading about Guru Nanak’s philosophy, and such was his desire to get
closer to the faith that he quit the army to help in the shrine’s upkeep.
The second fact, disclosed by a journalist friend from Lahore, was even
more interesting and could be straight from a novel on the post-Partition
trauma. The governments of both countries are still to formalise the
Kartarpur corridor, yet, at an unofficial level — for a few years now —
Pakistan Rangers (counterparts of the BSF) have been allowing Sikh pilgrims
to enter Pakistani territory to visit the shrine, provided they returned to
Indian territory the same day.
While subcontinental red tapism may be an impediment to peace between the
two countries, it is subcontinental spontaneity — as exhibited by the
Pakistan Rangers — which will help in peace-making. Therefore, when you
see a Ranger stomping his feet at the flag-lowering ceremony, take it with a
pinch of salt — they are human beings first and Rangers afterwards.
Thanks and Best Wishes,
Tridivesh Singh Maini
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