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SOME SAY RAM, SOME ALLAH!

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, had the Sikh invocation “Ik Ongkar Satgur Parsad”, with the names of donors inscribed. I was deeply touched to see how the Hindu community of Sahiwal closely associated itself with the Sikh faith. Observing that the four loudspeakers on the dome were announcing Azan, I reflected that over time, this place of worship has been a confluence for Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. It reminded of a verse from Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture.

 

Koi Boley Ram Ram Koi Khudai.
Koi Sevey Gusaiya Koi Allahey.
Some call Him, ‘Ram, Ram’, and some call Him, ‘Khudaai’. 
Some serve Him as ‘Gusain’, others as ‘Allah’.
Page 885, Guru Granth Sahib

 

Photographed in Oct 2014, during the research for the book “LOST HERITAGE The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan”

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