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...

After the conquest of Kashmir by Ranjit Singh in 1819, his most trusted general, Hari Singh Nalwa entrusted with the task to strengthen the military presence in the North-West Frontier. Hari Singh Nalwa built many forts in the region, including the one at Sher Garh, to barricade the routes used...

Before the partition of 1947, the site of Baba Than Singh at Kot Fateh Khan (Pakistan) was visited by Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims. According to the Rawalpindi Gazetteer, 4,000 people across all faiths attended a fair held at this place in 1893. Partition resulted in the migration of the entire...

During the search for the Topi Gurdwara, I found Nanakpanthis. I am the Guru, I am the disciple. I am Nanak, I am Sachal. I am Nath, I am Adam. I am Shiva, I am Christ. I am Moses. No one is apart from Me. Only our names are different.

My quest to search for the remnants of the gurdwara at Retla Mani in Hazro (Pakistan) was embraced by the people of the town. Exploring the abandoned homes and temples, I finally arrived at the locked premises of the gurdwara. On witnessing a flat ground, I reflected that existence is...

During the explorations of the remnants of the abandoned Baba Than Singh Gurdwara at Kot Fateh Khan, interactions with the locals revealed that the memories of the past have been kept alive for seven decades. Whilst the non-Muslims of the region were ousted in the partition of 1947, the villagers...

I reminiscence the days spent across Pakistan, when the purpose within had transformed me into a mystery that would attract everyone! Interactions with unknown men on the streets of Kasur, are a reflection of humanity that prevails in the hearts. Political agendas may have divided the punjabis but the cultural...

Mindset developed from the words of Nanak has helped my odysseys. I have cared not for the next breath, motivated only to discover a meaning in what others choose to ignore.   The allure of Pakistan is in the adoration of its people. Before I became recognized as an author,...

“The dancing mystic” at Baba Bullhe Shah’s mausoleum at Kasur (Pakistan) had caught my attention during the visit of year 2014, and meeting him again in 2017, created an opportunity for dialogue.Out of respect, as I slipped a few rupees into his pocket, he smiled and said, “NOTHING IS PLENTY...

WE LOST OUR HERITAGE IN THE CREATION OF PAKISTAN. WE THEN MANIACALLY DESTROYED IT IN INDIA. NOW UNDER THE NAME OF RENOVATION WE ARE DESTROYING WHATEVER LITTLE IS LEFT ACROSS PAKISTAN.   My community needs to wake-up. Heritage is valuable source of motivation for future generations. No one has the...

Indus, you once defined the western frontiers of the Indian subcontinent. Indus, you inspired Nanak (15th century) and Farid (13th century) to spread the fragrance of love. Indus, you guided Ranjit Singh (19th century) to expand the Sikh empire beyond the northern and western banks, from the Punjab to Ladakh,...

My travel pursuits across Pakistan to understand the legacy that the Sikh community abandoned in the partition of 1947, has resulted in a state of mind that strives to gain nothing, loose nothing, but only accept the absolute. As I roamed across alleys in search of emotions embedded in the...

Nonetheless, thanks to the Government of Pakistan for having deputed a large security team to protect me closely as I independently researched the Sikh legacy of Pakistan. At a dysfunctional Gurdwara in the Potohar region, as I walked inside the abandoned building, Naimat Ullah from Islamabad Police diligently kept his...

Beauty of Sindh (Pakistan) lies in its inclusiveness of faiths. Hindu temples reflect Hinduism, Sikhism and Sufism inside the same premises. A visit to Bhagnari temple in Karachi, where lies the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture) in a room adjacent to the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. A girl dressed in...

On 23 Jan, 2017, seven decades after the partition of the Indian sub-continent, this extant village Gurdwara in Pakistan finally received a Sikh visitor. As I stood besides, it whispered, “In 1762 AD, Ahmad Shah Abdali wiped out the entire Sikh population from the plains of the Punjab, but you...

I detest people who deface heritage sites but in reading the graffiti “I lost my everything,” scribbled on the wall of the Kair Bawa Gurdwara, I thought this was so very poignant for our community, who had indeed lost much of the material and spiritual heritage in the partition of...

A dialogue with the falling Mangat Gurdwara, Pakistan I still remember the vibrancy of the community in the pre-partition days. Those were the days! I recall year 1604, when the fifth Nanak (Guru Arjan Dev) deputed Bhai Banno to get the first recension of the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh...