11 October 2014: Heading from Hassan Abdal to Rawalpindi, I was looking forward to meeting Noori. In 1996, Kaka, a 28-year-old Pakistani from Mansehra, had visited Delhi under Tablighi Jamaat, to impart an understanding of Islam at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Centre of learning. Kaka, a devout Muslim has dedicated his...
At the age of 80 years, Noori breathed her last on 16 June 2020 at Rawalpindi (Pakistan). Noori, aka Jaswanti, born a Sikh, accepted the ‘Divine Will’ and lived as a devout Muslim! Noori is my distant Aunt, whom I last met at Rawalpindi in 2018. I remember her being...
During the explorations of the remains of the Kirtangarh Gurdwara at Alibeg in Pakistan, I met Raj Mohammad, a 92-year-old man who had studied at the school run on its premises. He fondly remembered the past when this gurdwara had served as a fulcrum of education and free kitchen for...
In search for the remains of a historical gurdwara at Baherwal in Pakistan, as I grappled how to gain access to the locked premises, the locals came forward to help. In that moment, I reflected how fortunate I have been that at every site across the county, the desire to...