Sikh fresco art on the walls of dying monuments across Pakistan speak volumes about the past glory of the region; a highly evolved and respectful society, where women were no less than men! A woman leads a hunt in this 19th century fresco on a dilapidated gurdwara wall in central...
Walking the streets of Sahiwal (Pakistan), I spotted a domed building, distinctively looking like a gurdwara but adorned with a copper, triangular pennant, indicating it would be a Hindu temple. “Hindu Satsang Sabha” was written on its dome in Hindi but at its entrance a plaque engraved in Gurmukhi,...
In the outskirts of the city of Mansehra in Pakistan, I stopped at the grave of Isher Singh, who having adopted Islam in the partition of 1947, is now buried here as Gulam Sarwar. Why Isher Singh stayed back and converted, by will or force, is not of concern to...
At Qila Jiwan Singh (Pakistan), a village named after a Sikh; I looked towards Sarai Amanat Khan (India), a village named after a Muslim. Being served tea at Qila Jiwan Singh by Rafaqat Ali, whose parents had moved from Sarai Amanat Khan in the partition of 1947; it felt that...
At the Indo-Pak border, standing at Ganda Singh Wala (Pakistan), a village named after a Sikh; I looked towards Hussain Wala (India), a village named after a Muslim. Twenty kilometers behind me was Kasur in Pakistan, the town of Baba Bullhe Shah and ahead of me was Faridkot in India,...
At the historic Second Anglo Sikh War Memorial in Chillianwala (Pakistan), a conversation with Mahmud Khan. Indian history textbooks refrain to mention the accounts of Sikh history which occurred on the soil of Pakistan, and these chapters remain suppressed in Pakistan as they are considered non-Islamic. In this tussle, the...
At the Khyber Gate, opposite Jamrud Fort, as I read the seven large plaques affixed on the Khyber Memorial, on which are inscribed detailed history of the region, from the ‘ancient times’ to the ‘present’, it was evident that History is nothing else but ‘HIS STORY’. The Sikh Empire in...
In Pakistan at lunch with Malik Ikhtiar Sahab and the villagers of Narali, there was only respect and love for each other. I was reminded of Baba Bullhe Shah, I am not a Hindu, nor a Muslim. I have forsaken pride and become unsullied. I am not a Sunni, nor...
At Gujranwala in Pakistan, the young students looked dazed as I peeked into their classroom. Their startled expression revealed that they had never seen a Sikh. The hall in which they were being taught, was once a gurdwara of the Sikh community. Till 1947, it is here that the Sikhs...
As I flew over Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, on the right of the plane was Baltistan and on the left, Gilgit. The diversity that existed across these remote high altitude territories before the partition of India, is reflected in the book entitled, “Gilgit Rebellion – The major who mutinied over...
At Skardu, in the region of Baltistan in Pakistan, having visited the remains of the abandoned and dilapidated gurdwara, I thereafter strolled through the market. As per the Jammu & Kashmir census of 1941, of the total population of 106,289 in Skardu, there were only 131 Sikhs and 141 Hindus....
At Islamabad Literature Festival, a member of the audience asked, “How do you feel travelling across Pakistan as an identifiable Sikh?” My reply was, “Bollywood Fakir!” Across Pakistan, at every nook and corner, people wish to interact, feed and more importantly, want selfies and photos! At Bhai Pheru, every step...
The web of roots represented in the word ‘Singh’ that every Sikh man would once proudly use as part of his name, may have lost its significance, primarily because the community’s relationship with the lands where they had once made a glorious history, was severed in the partition of 1947....
While travels across Pakistan in search of the Sikh legacy has been uplifting but also a highly emotional experience. A view of the Panja Sahib Gurdwara through the grills conveyed a feeling of being in a prison. Freedom wrenched! In 1849, the machinations of the British India, resulted in the...
‘Ishq’ in its ultimate form means unfettered passion! For years, I had dreamt of being inside the forts across the turbulent North-Western region of Pakistan from where the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century had successfully plugged the Khyber Pass, putting to stop the invasions into the Indian sub-continent....
In an interesting encounter with a Fakir, he smiled and said, “Climb the heights of depth!” For years, I was focused on scaling the ‘Heights of Height’, and am now attempting to climb the ‘Heights of Depth’. So during my return in 2017, I tried to search for the Fakir!...
One’s who forget history are destined to relive it! While the past can’t be changed, but it can serve as a rear view mirror to guide us into the future, to not repeat what could have been avoided. At Rawalpindi in Pakistan, with a heavy heart, I gazed into a...
For seven decades, the egos of the people of India and Pakistan have fed each other on hate! Like every year, I chose not to watch the world cup cricket yesterday. While on the face people may say ‘Cricket is just a game’, if observed from expressions, it has actually...
If we all can passionately advocate that this world is a bouquet of coexistence then differentiating words like ‘Kafir’ that breed one-upmanship can hopefully lose relevance? ‘Kafir’, a derogatory word has its origins in the Arabic culture and applies to anyone who holds a different view about the Creator and...
Standing at the Khyber Pass, I could feel the energy of Hari Singh Nalwa. The feeling was indescribable as my mind resonated with the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Ali Ka Naam Sun Kar Ab Bhi Khyber Kaanp Jata Hai Hearing the name of Ali, even today the Khyber...