Passage to peace

A corridor between the two high seats of Sikhism

We were returning to Amritsar from Batala by bus. It was quite full, but I managed to find a seat. The bus rolled on, occasionally slamming its brakes. Suddenly, it came to a complete halt. I looked around at my fellow passengers. One among them stood out: an elderly Sikh in a white kurta-pyjama and a blue turban.

He was an Amritdhari Sikh, conspicuous because of the dagger slung across his chest. He had a placard suspended from his neck. It read: Taaron paar, ravion paar,/ Baabey Nanak dey darbar,/ Langha mang Punjabiyaan/ Sun sarkar-e-Hindustan,/ Jad taiyaar ae Pakistan, /Tu mann wich rakhein khot,/ Chhadd vitkarey, hosh 8216;ch aa,/Apney raah khushhali paa to go across the barbed wire and the Ravi/to Guru Nanak8217;s court/Punjabis ask for a passage/listen, O government of India/When Pakistan is ready/To let us in without a visa and passport/Shun this hostility and wake up/Spread happiness on your path.

I requested him to stand up so that I could write down these lines on the back of my ticket. I then asked him about his mission. 8220;Madamji, I am a sewadaar worker for a organisation called Sangat Langha Kartarpur,8221; he replied. 8220;We have been working relentlessly since 2001 for the peace corridor proposed to be built between Dera Baba Nanak and Kartarpur Saheb, so that Sikh pilgrims can go easily to pay their obeisance at the seat of Guru Nanak8217;s school of thought. Every year, the Centre provides a Haj subsidy. We have nothing against this. Our only request is that we should be allowed our pilgrimages, without any visa restrictions, to all the gurudwaras in Pakistan, beginning with Kartarpur Saheb.8221; He ended with the words, 8220;May Waheguru give our government some wisdom.8221; Kartarpur Saheb in Pakistan is just three kilometres from Dera Baba Nanak. A corridor between these high seats of Sikhism requires no massive infrastructure. A metalled road is sufficient. The passage will allow people to walk to Kartarpur Saheb, the place where Guru Nanak instituted his school of thought, and walk back. Secured by proper security checks at the entry and exit points, this 8216;peace corridor8217; can indeed bring solace to the faithful.

Going by the latest reports published in Pakistani and Indian newspapers, Pakistan seems to have given its nod to a visa-free pilgrimage to Kartarpur Saheb. The onus now lies on India to bridge another chasm of discord.