My Third Visit to Pakistan

GIANI SANTOKH SINGH

My third visit to Pakistan

            Before starting from Sydney I went to the Pakistan consulate here to get visa. The youth at the reception counter asked me some odd questions that I had not expected. However I answered all questions to the best of my knowledge. He accepted my papers but did not promise a visa. When I raised eyebrows at so much interrogation, he said that the Indian consulate too asked such questions to Pakistanis asking Indian visa. However next week I received a phone call from him that my visa was ready and I should go and collect it from the consulate. I saw that the visa was for three months though I had requested for one month only. Last time I had requested for one month but was given for 15 days.

            As it had happened with me the last time, this time too I could not gather enough courage to under take this journey from Amritsar to Lahore and kept postponing it.
This time I had got only one entry where as the last time I had got two. However I took courage and started for Atari on 2 November 2008. The bus conductor lied to me that the bus will go to Wahga, but it stopped at Atari and refused to go further. From Atari I took three wheeler and went to Wahga. At Wahga the money changers surrounded me. I exchanged three thousand Indian rupee notes, as the last time, when bus passengers had laughed at my handing a thousand rupee note to the conductor for the three rupee bus ticket. Now the coolies rushed at me. This time I had a small bag and also a big bundle of books. So I had to take help from a porter. The one who lifted the bundle of books was Sarpanch of a nearby village. He was an elderly man with a white beard. A young collie with black beard came and attempted to take over the luggage from him, Saying, “Oi, you are a Sarpanch; you should not lift others luggage.” “I am only doing labor, not a  robbery,” saying these words he did not let go of my bundle and the youth drifted away laughing. A Sikh immigration officer, seeing my Australia passport said in a humble voice, “Sardar Ji, please show me some Australian dollars, so that I can see how they look.”   I said I did not have any, which was the truth, any way, When he could not find anything wrong with my papers, he put the stamp on my passport and handing it to me , gave me shame faced smile, “Sardar Ji, we expect a little tip from foreigners like you; please let me have something.” I gave him a hundred rupee note that he slipped below the table giving me an understanding smile. I paid hundred rupees to the Indian collie who then handed me to a Pakistani collie. After completing immigration formalities on both sides of the border, I crossed over to Pakistan.

            Unlike in 1999, there was quite a hustle bustle on that side also. A number of new shops had come up. Rows of trucks were running here and there carrying goods. In place of the earlier narrow and torturous road, there was a beautiful four lane highway that ran up to Sri Nankana Sahib. At Wahga I found Bhai Gobind Singh J, the head Granthi of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. He was waiting there for his younger brother S. Ramesh Singh who was returning from India. I asked him what should I pay to the collie. e said that not more than 40 to 50 rupees. I gave the collie a hundred rupee note but saw that he expected more, standing there in a humble attitude. I gave him another 100 rupee. Bhai Gobind Singh Ji mildly rebuked him telling him not to rob foreigners, but he and his companions said that the Sardar Ji was giving the money of his own fare will. I said that it was his Kismat, so he got the money, and I was not unhappy. The last time in 1999, I had gone from Amritsar to Gurdwara Dehra Sahib Lahore with only 21 rupees but this time, in 2008, crossing just the border, I had ended up spending Rs 430. But I was still happy as I had not been forced to do anything against m will. In a short while. S. Ramesh Singh also came. He was a well-educated gentleman and had served on high government post of Pakistan, but now ha had given up his post and was building up a large office at Narowal in front of the Deputy commissioner’s office. He represented a non-governmental International Organizations that was working to raise the standard of living of the Pakistani people. Many other international welfare institutions had also pledged to give monetary support to his organization. Bhai Gobind Singh Ji took us from Wahga border to Sri Kartarpur Sahib in his own cat. On the way we stopped in Narowal at S. Ramesh Singh’s office. The building was undergoing renovation and also met his family. They were all gentle and loving people. At the 17^th km road sign, on the road running from Narowal to Shakargarh is as sign board pointing to Sri Kartarpur Sahib. This Gurdwara is three km from the road on the bank of the river Ravi. The road leading to the Gurdwara had been built on the orders of the Chief Minster of West Punjab in 24 hours time. From this I remembered Sardar Lachhman Gill’s rule in 1968. During his rule he had connected each village of Punjab to a link road. Some people used to tell a story that he was t visit his sister’s village on some family function, he called the senior most officer of the concerned department and told him, “I have to go to so and so village and so date. I desire that a road to the village should be ready that time. “Sir, it is not possible to build the road in such a short time,” the officer is said to have replied. “Then you go and sit at home. I will replace you with an officer who can build this road,” Sardar Gill told him. “What you desire shall be done Sir,” the officer submitted. The road was built in a record time.

The building of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is ancient and stout. At the death of Guru Ji, his Hindu devotees wanted to cremate his body, while the Muslim who treated him as their Peer insisted that he should be buried as per Muslim rites. But a devotee and non-partisan disciple of Guru Ji observed:

Baba Nanak Shah Faqir

Hindu ka Guru Musalman ka Peer.

            During this tussle Guru Ji’s body disappeared. The cloth with which it had been covered was then divided equally by the devotees of both communities. The Musalman buried their part and erected a Kabar over the spot. The Hindu devotees cremated the other part on the place where now the Gurdwara stands. Near by in circumambulation of the Gurdwara Sahib, a raised platform symbolizes the Kabar. It remains covered by a decorated Chadar. The village Kartarpur that Guru Ji had founded and lived in, is no more there. A small village is nearby called Kothe. It had been a land-owner of Dode village, Bhai Doda, who had gifted land to Guru Ji for building the Dharamsala and village Kartarpur. It is fortunate the eyes of the Kar-Sewak Babas has not yet fell on this historic place and the ancient land marks are still intact. There is a well that has been in existence since the Days of Guru Ji’s life. A Khuhi which was used to draw water by Guru Ji’s family is also in the vicinity. The manger of the Gurdwara Bhai Manjit Singh taking good care of this place. He told me that in 2000 when the Gurdwara came to his charge it had 3 acres of land in its possession, but now, with monetary assistance of the Sangat, he had bought additional land and it totals about 43 acres. The land is being farmed under his supervision. He has also raised milk cattle. All ration for the Langar comes from this land. S. Manjit Singh is the elder brother of Bhai Gobind Singh Ji and S. Resham Singh Ji. I spent only one night there and the next day, S. Manjit Singh took me to Lahore by his car, and there at lunch introduced me to some other gentlemen. In addition to other discussion, I was urged by them to undertake the work of arranging visits of Australian Sikh Jathas to Pakistan for visiting Sikh Gurdwaras. I promised to do whatever I could towards this project. In the evening S. Manjit Singh handed me over to the management of Gurdwara Dehra Sahib according to my wish. Janab Asgar Ji, the care-taker appointed by the Pakistani Waqaf Board, gave me a suitable room to stay and promised other help.

At Lahore I met an eminent scholar Dr Jafar Cheema, the director of Dyal Singh Research and Cultural Forum. He arranged a program for an informal discussion at the Pakistan T.V. studio Lahore on 10 November. I had a few days at my disposal, so I arranged another visit to Sri Kartarpur Sahib, in  company of a young Sikh Scholar S. Rajvir Singh who is resident of Pakistan. On return from there I spent a day at the Lahore Museum. I was in the hall containing Sikh artefacts, when a group of school girls came in and surrounded me at first in twos and threes and then enmass. They directed a shower of questions at me. I wondered why they considered me such a novelty when large number of Sikhs came to that place on pilgrimage. There were also some Sikh families who lived in Pakistan on permanent basis. I think the reason was that the Sikhs often came in large Jathas and remained confined to the Gurdwara premises. They do not roam about alone like me. The children seemed to belong to some rural area where Sikhs were seldom seen. Probably they did not got opportunity to see them. They called me uncle Ji and spoke with affection treating me as venerable old man which my flowing beard and dress proclaimed me to be. They also took autographs from me. Seeing all that, a teacher with a trimmed white beard came to the girls a number of times and said, “come children, come on, we are getting late.” but the children would not leave till every one of them was able to obtain my autograph. At last he spoke in some anger, “he is one of those who had massacred Muslims!” “It was the others, Sir, not he,” came prompt reply from a girl. He murmured some angry words and went away. After I got rid of the children I looked for that teacher. Catching up with him in the premises of the museum, I extended my hand to him, but he came and ambrased me. I said, “every one  had turned mad then; neither my people gave any quarter to yours, nor did yours spared mine.” He uttered some such remark, “you were wrong then, now you are alright.” and went on his way.

Unknown to me, two youths also visiting the museum like me, had observed this exchange between the teacher and me. The two were relatives; one was a Baloach and the other a Punjabi, called Shameer. They now came to me and condemned the behavior of the teacher in strong words. Despite my polite refusal Shameer dropped me at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib on his motor cycle. The Gurdwara gate is always guarded by police and they do not allow an ordinary Muslim to go inside, but on my request the guard allowed Shameer to come up to my room. He asked me about my next day’s program. When I said that the next day I had intended to visit the Zoo at Jallo. He said that he would take me on his motor bike lest I meet some one like the teacher at the Zoo. That young man appeared to belong to a respectable and prosper family and was well-educated. But next morning due to a change of program, I rang him up and politely declined his help with thanks. For the next two days I visited Gurdwaras in Lahore with the Sangat from abroad and exchanged information on the historic importance of each Gurdwara in Lahore. Then the day of 10 November approached when I was to participate in talk at the Lahore studio of Pakistani T.V. A gentleman sent b Fr Jafar Cheema came and took me to his office at the Dyal Singh Liberary. This library is in a vast building near the Lashmi Chowk in Lahore. This building also contains the Dyal Singh Research and Cultural Forum which works under the directorship of Dr. Cheema. It is doing admirable work in the Punjabi literary and cultural fields. I was given a tour of the liberary and was told about the history of the forum. This institution with its vast liberary, the Tribune news paper  had been founded with money donated by Sir Dyal Singh Majithia. This Sardar Ji belonged to the celebrated Majithia family of the days of the Sikh rule. Sir Dyal Singh did not have any children. He wanted that his wealth should be used for the welfare of mankind. When the Khalsa College was being established, he had offered to build it with his own money. The only condition being that it should be named ‘Dyal Singh Khalsa College’. But the then Panthak leaders did not accept this. When the other community leaders came to know about it, they all rushed to Sardar Ji and got him to donate money for many institutions: liberary, college, the Tribune etc.

Now we went to the T.V. studio. Dr. Cheema acted as the anchor during the show and with his comments kept it lively and interesting. The panel consisted: apart from me Maj. Gen. Mohammed Javed, the Chairman of the Waqaf board, S. Lashwinder Singh Dalewal from England and Madam Dr. Dilshad Cheema. Dr. Dilshad Cheema was then the only lady in Pakistan who did her Ph.D. in Punjabi on Babu Firozdin Sharf’s life and his literature. Dr. Jafar Cheema’s scholaship, ability and agility of mind, was largely responsible for the program’s success. Dr. Dilshad Cheema asked me some relevant questions in order to explain something that I said in the program, making it more colorful and lively. Dr. Dilshad Cheema was the first lady in Pakistan to do a doctrate in Punjabi. The subject of her thesis had been ‘The life and writings of Babu Firoz Din Sharaf.’ I later heard many favourable comments about the program from the global audience. Though I myself was unable to watch this show, many people in different parts of the world did so and expressed their appreciation.

On 11 November I went to Sri Nankana Sahib with a Jatha that came from England. This place was full of people. The condition was like the proverb, “even the mothers could not take care of their children.” In such a multitude of people who care for a nobody like me. I could not find any place there to spent a night. When I tried to go in side the Gurdwara hall to pay my obeisance to Guru Ji, seeing me lugging a large bag and holding the bundle of my books, the security guard politely but firmly stopped me from going inside. I looked around for a familiar face. But a guest many hosts often remains hungry. So it happened with me. I had thought that spending a night would be no problem. Most probably I will meet my friend Rajvir Singh, or I will stay with the SGPC Jatha, or make some other arrangement. Before leaving Lahore for Sri Nankana Sahib, the management of Waqaf board at Lahore had offered to give me shelter for he night but due to my careless nature I had not bothered to tell them so. Then I saw a Langar run by some Canadian youngmen. From their dress and manners of speech, they seemed to belong to the Damdami Taksal. I requested them o mind m bundle of books so that I would go and pay my respects inside the Gurdwara. A young man enquire about the subject matter of my books. I took out  book and gave him to read. Anyway they agreed to look after my bundle till the time I came back from inside. Inside I also the famous Palki which had been in news for so long. About the Palki I will share my thoughts with my readers in a separate article. The members of the Jatha from England with I had come in the bus from Lahore saw my plight but offered me no shelter for the night in the veranda of the building occupied by them.

I went to Gurdwara Tambu Sahib Ji. The next day there was to be Seminar in the vast maidan of the Gurdwara, in which I too was to speak, I had thought S. Avtar Singh Sanghera of England who had had an inn built near he Gurdwara with money donated by the Sangats abroad, knew me and he will give me place to sleep in the inn. We had met earlier in July 2004 in Italy. He did not recognize me, though he talked politely with me. Seeing this I thought it better not to tell him about my problem. An Akhand Path was going on at Gurdwara Tambu sahib. At night I set up my ‘camp’ in a corner of the hall and my things I slipped below the bed of the Sukhasan. Thus I spent the night at the feet of Guru Ji. In the morning I took a bath in the bathroom of the inn. The weather being not too cold, I had not worry about a place to sleep, but like always I had been worried about my belongings. I thought, If someone made away with them at night in this Mela, whose mother would I call a aunt, or say to the Bibis, “whose uncle I am, girls?” As for food, there was no problem. Langars were running at many places near the Gurdwara.

The Seminar which was held the next day under the auspices of the Waqaf Board had as speakers many religious scholars and prominent Sikhs. Many high status Pakistani citizens were present there. Dr. Dilshad Cheema too spoke at the Seminar. Her speech was about Bebe Nanaki Ji the elder sister of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. the first speech at the Seminar was my own. Dr. Jafar Cheema, the Chief organizer of the this Seminar had requested me to speak on the subject of ‘the female foeticide and the place of women in Sikh Society’. He had also requested to given a written copy of my speech so that he could publish it is ‘Punj Rang’ magazine. But in keeping with my lazy nature, I could not do it and spoke it directly from the stage. Audience applauded my speech. I presented a set of my books to the Waqaf Board’s Chairman, Maj. Gen. Javed and I too was presented a bundle of books and a momento by him.

I had made a commitment to the management of Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Shaheed at Amritsar that I would speak at the Shaheedi Diwas of Baba Ji to be held there. For this it was necessary for me to return to Lahore the same night, from where I could go to Amritsar the next day. Before the Seminar, when I inquired at the bus stand at Nankana Sahib about  bus timings for Lahore, I was told that as per the orders of the Pakistan government, no Sikh was allowed to leave Nankana Sahib before the 14 November. When I suggested travelling incognito, I was told, “Sardar Ji, the police will unnecessarily stop and harass passengers en route, so we cannot do it.” I was in a delimma. I feared that will miss my appointment and this lose the trust of the management of the Gurdwara at Amritsar. At the gathering after the Seminar. during tea and refreshment, I fell into talk with a tall Sikh young man, who like others admired my lecture and, then asked about my further program. I told him about my problem and he immediately offered to take me in his car to Lahore the same night. “ Can a blind man look for anything better than two eyes?” All my problems disappeared. He took me the same night to Gurdwara Dehra Sahib Lahore. This good young man is called S. Gurmeet Singh Layallpuria and he comes from Faislabad (once called Layallpur). En route to Lahore upon my asking about his family, he told me:

My ancestors came from a village of Gurdaspur district in 1901, like many others, obtaining land here and did the farming. But a mob of Muslim robbers and killers attacked our family during that holocaust of 1947. All the male members of my grand-father’s generation were killed by them, but the women and children of my father’s generation took shelter in a Christian Church and saved their lives. The Christians at the Church immediately cut short the hair of my father, his bothers and cousins, and said they were Christians. Thus, our family became Christian, which they still are. When I came to know about my family background in 1999, my wife and I became Sikh. My wife is the first woman in Pakistan who is a Ph.D. I too was fortunate in meeting that good lady. She wears all five Kakars and ties a Keski over her head, and has an impressive personality with her rich sweet voice and powers of speech. She is an M.A. in economics. The family had bycotted us both because of our conversion to Sikhism. They jeer at us when they see us. My father has disinherited me. but we are grateful to Guru Ji that he bestowed Sikhi Daan on us. I work for the Pakistani media. For the welfare of the Sikhs of Pakistan, we young men have set up an institution known as ‘Lok Vihar’. I am going to Rawalpindi tomorrow to deliver a speech at the Interfaith Seminar to be held there. If you can come with me and speak there, I shall be grateful.

Missing such an opportunity I felt regret but I wanted to keep my appointment at Amritsar, so I declined his offer with thanks. Staying the night at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, the next day I took a three-wheeler and went to village Jallo. From there I caught a bus and came to the Wahga border. The immigration formalities on the Pakistani side did not take much time but on the Indian side they took quite a long time. After finishing with Indian immigration when I came out, an officer ran after me saying, “Sardar Ji, you have left your passport behind; don’t you need it?” This gave me rude shock. Had this not told me, I would only have known after reaching Mumbai that I had no passport. On the 8 October, 2008, I had forgotten to pick up my mobile phone at Heathrow Airport in London, when I was running to and fro to catch plane to Mumbai, but I had not considered it a great loss but an inconvenience. But the loss of passport was a serious thing.

This time the coolies did not rush to me. Perhaps it was too early! A young Sikh coolie approached me casually. I gave him a small denomination note without getting any help from him but he said that they were celebrating a Gurpurab that night at their village Gurdwara and he would give that money there. Then I got back that note from him and gave him 101 rupees as donation.

Towards the end of the formalities at the immigration counter, I had found familiar face standing in the line to enter in to Indian side. He was wearing simple pants and a shirt and a some larger than an ordinary turban. On inquiring my guess proved to e correct. He was a well-known writer and a farmer Deputy Commissioner, Sardar Gurtej Singh. We had met in 2003 in London at a Seminar. I asked him the reason for being there so early in the day and whether he came from Lahore. He replied that he did not come from Lahore but had been prevented from going to Lahore by the ‘mercy’ of a Sikh official. He was to go to Nankana Sahib on a visit. A senior Hindu officer had cleared him to go on but a subordinate Sikh official had found a minor mistake in his passport and asked him to go back to home. He said that he would try again the next day to go on Pakistan and would pray to Guru Ji that the same Sikh officer should not be on duty, so that he would go to Nankana Sahib. Hearing his story my bitter experiences of Sikh officials proved to be well-founded.

Sardar Ji hired a taxi and dropped me at the Crystal Chowk Amritsar in front of the hotel. He was to spend the night at the Crystal hotel near the Chowk. Big men have big hearts. The taxi drive asked him 550 rupees, which he handed him without a demur. I waited for a bus. On the way I had asked him why he was staying at a hotel when he could get a suitable room at the inn near Darbar Sahib, but he said it was much more convenient and hassle-free to stay at a hotel.

I tried to reach the bus stand by a rickshaw but the rickshaw driver told me hat the passage to he bust stand had been closed due to the rush of People, it being the occasion of the Gurpurb. He dropped me at the railway station. From the railway station a free bus service had been started for Sri Darbar Sahib. Taking that bus I came to the Srai, and from there reached my brother’s home, near the Shaheed Gang by a rickshaw.

This bus service has been started by the management of Sri Darbar Sahib for the convenience of visitors to Sri Darbar Sahib. This act is praise worthy. But like all good works, this too has room for improvement. Considering my old age and getting impression that I might be some body in SGPC from my dress, the bus driver let me enter the bus by driver’s window. But as for the other passengers, the driver and conductor made not distinction for age or sex. This impartiality too is a good thing. But I found that young boys, none of them a Sikh, had rushed into the bus and occupied all available seats, leaving none for any women and children waiting for long rime to get into the bus. There was no apparent feeling of devotion in their conduct and behavior. There was only naughtiness in all their talk and behavior, Many deserving passengers did not get a chance to board the bus. A woman with two small children was not able to get inside the bus due to the rush, In my view she was the most needy person requiring the bus service. I could extend no help to that poor woman as there was no place in the bus even to stand. I was trapped in a nook of the bus from where I could not move my body.

It is my humble request to the capable management that the bus conductor be given the responsibility of maintaining a proper queue of the passengers while boarding the bus. The more needy persons like visitors from out side, women, children and elderly people should get preference.

The next day, according to the commitment, I attended the Diwan at the Gurdwara Baba Deep Sigh Ji, spoke the to the Sangat and was bestowed a Siropa by the management. (16.12.2008)

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During the earlier stay at Lahore I had come to know that a Pakistani author, Janab Iqbal Kaisar, had written a book called ‘Pakistan Vich Sikhan De Itihasak Pavitar Asthan’. But due to paucity of time I could neither meet the author nor obtain the book. Therefore I went on another tour of Lahore. Like the Jamrod Fort I had developed a fascination for the ‘Bhangian Wali Tope’ since childhood. How could I miss seeing this Tope and then brag before other people about it. From the ‘Mahan Kosh’ (The Great Encyclopaedia of Sikhism) I came to know that this cannon now graces the entrance of the Lahore Museum. For many years I did not know that museum and a Zoo are not the same thing. Only later did I come to know that the two are different. I talked to a three-wheeler driver out side Gurdwara Dehra Sahib. He demanded Rs. 25 as fare. I said I had travelled from India to Pakistan spending just Rs. 21 and he was demanding Rs. 25 for travel within the city. “This is a reasonable and correct fare, SardarJi” he replied politely but in a business tone.

However he took me to the museum. I saw it was closed and tried to ask a few people about it but no one had the time for such an idle person like me. After walking round for sometime, my eye fell on a large cannon. I guessed correctly that it must be the Bhangis Cannon, but looked for a sign board to confirm. I saw a neglected and half hidden board with faded Urdu and English letters. I could read English a little, though not the Urdu. It was indeed The Bhangian Wali Top ( Now, in 2008, a large and beautiful  board has been put up there)

            This historic cannon had been built to the order of a famous gun-maker named Shah Nazir; it had been made out of the metal of looted utensils from Hindu homes. Abdali had not been able to carry the cannon to Kabul. The cannon was captured by Sardar Hari Singh Bhangi from Subedar of Lahore, Khawaja Ubed Beg in 1762. From the Bhangis the cannon passed to Sardar Charhat Singh, the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. the Pathans of Chatha then snatched it away from the hands Sardar Charhat Singh; but then Sardar Jhanda Singh Bhangi seized it from the Pathans and named it the ‘Bhangian Wali Tope.’ Before this it was called the ‘Zamzam;. From the Bhangis the cannon again passed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The British became the last masters of this cannon when they defeated the Sikhs in the Battle of Ferushah. The gate of the Lahore Museum became the last resting place of this famous cannon. It is fourteen half feet foot in length and has a bore of 9 inches.

After seeing the cannon, I reached Gurdwara Dehra Sahib on foot.

            At the Dehra Sahib I met my old friend from Vancouver, Hardial Singh Johal, who had come from there to visit Sikh Gurdwaras in Pakistan and also to participate in the Jaloos that was to start from Lahore on the occasion of 300^th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa. The Jaloos was sponsored by Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Bhai Ranjit Singh, in rivalry to the SGPC and consequently the Indian and Punjab Governments. Hardial Singh requested me to take his Jatha on a guided tour of Gurdwaras, I had already visited in Pakistan. This was a task which appealed greatly to my mind and I agreed at once. We went by bus, which they hired already for this purpose and took them to all places except the Jamrod fort. I also narrated to the Jatha, a brief history of each place they saw.

             In the end all visitors went to the Anarkali Bazar of Lahore for shopping. I too went with them, From there I bought an Urdu Kaida (Primer) for 30 rupees – I have never since read it. It may be lying forgotten some where. This was about all I bought in Pakistan during my second visit: a Kaida of 30 rupees and a book that cost Rs 2000.

            Hardial Singh ordered me to be one of the Panj Piaras and lead the Jaloos. I am used to wearing Pants/Pajamas but now honoring the tradition I had to join the other four Piaras with bare legs, and a drawn sword in hand. The Chola, Kamarkassa and Gol Pagg were not new things for. I had difficulty about tying  this style of turban but this problem I solved with help from another Singh. We, the Panj Piaras including England Gasi Giani Amolak Singh, led the Jaloos, to the Wahga Border, riding an open vehicle. From here Hardial Singh went back because he had no Indian visa.

            I was pleasantly surprised seeing the elderly Giani Amolak Singh standing in the open vehicle with a drawn sword in hand, and in Charhdikala while passing through the streets of Lahore, he remarked, “It seems the Khalsa will yet see some good times ahead. It is after long years that a Jaloos of Singhs has passed through the streets of Lahore.

At the Wahga Border we were subjected to a thorough body search. Perhaps it was done by orders of the government as the Jaloos had been sponsored by the Tohra group which was in political opposition to government. I just had my usual bag containing my Kachhehra, a towel two vests and a shirt, The Kaida bought from the Anarkali Bazar and Iqbal Kaisar’s book on the history of Sikh Shrines of Pakistan but a good looking young Sikh of the Customs gave my bag a thorough scrutiny.

On the 10^th of April this Jaloos ended at a hotel in Amritsar. Some people went to stay in the hotel rooms but I came back to my brother’s home.

Next day, on the 11^th April the Jaloos was to depart for Sri Anandpur Sahib from Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. The management of the SGPC had made thorough security arrangements to prevent Bhai Ranjit Singh, who was to lead the Jaloos, from doing anything unfavorable to it. Many of the officials of the SGPC including Ajaib Singh Manager, Secretary Kulwant Singh etc. were my old friends, but now I was part of Jaloos of their opponents. The speaker was not allowed. Giani Amolak Sing spoke without the loud speaker in his roaring voice and also sang Shabad. The stage secretary was Major Singh Ubboke. A devoted gentleman got up from the from the Sangat and handed Mr. Ubboke a large bundle of Currency notes and requested that the money be used to meet expenses of this Jaloos.

Without any unpleasant event the Jaloos set out for Sri Anandpur Sahib.

At Sri Anandpur Sahib a huge conference had been arranged under the name of Sant Smaj. It was a living testimony to the organizing ability of the aged leader Gurcharan Singh Tohra. I too sat on the stage. Among the main events of this conference was a speech in Charhdikala by Sri Chander Shekhar Ex P.M. of India, which he called, “The clash between political power and a Sant.“ which he delivered after the tying of a saffron colored turban by the hands of Sardar Tohra. Because almost all the ‘Khali Dals’ opposing Badal’s ‘Kali Dal’ were present there. Their leaders got time to speak from the same stage. Once, a party of martyrs, the ‘Shiromani Akali Dal’ was not seen anywhere these days. With the temporary alliance of Sardar Maan and Sardar Bittu, a hope had revived that perhaps a pro-Panth Dal will again begin to play leading role in Punjab politics, were dashed to the ground when their alliance broke like, “Tut gai krhak karke.” Two speakers of Maan Dal, Bhai Ram Singh and a Professor Sahib gave impressive speeches. Then in his simple style Mann Sahib spoke on stage, “Bhrao, you give me support, but not vote.” Hearing these words, the audience burst into laughter. After him Sucha Singh Chhotepur said in his roaring Majhaily voice, “Maan Sahib, the people had given you not only their support, but also notes and votes; and that too in record-breaking numbers. They wanted an alternative to Badal; you have not been able to provide them an alternative to Badal.”

The time was approaching 3pm. Considering the intense heat and my delicate health, I got down from the stage, and thought it better to leave the scene. So I caught a bus and returned to Amritsar by 2am.