"pilgrim-punjab" Archive
Prove Your Identity
On the way to Sikhism's holiest spot, the Golden Temple, we saw a sign outside a hotel:
"Prove your identity."
In a land of hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects, translations can be quite hilarious. But sometimes, deep too. :)
[ read more ... ]by Nipun Mehta on Feb 4 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'pilgrim-punjab'
Service to Humanity
Spotted outside of the Golden Temple in Amritsar:
by Nipun Mehta on Feb 4 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'pilgrim-punjab'
A Dip Into Sikhism
About ten of us crowded in a car to head to the "Golden Temple", a temple of Sikhs that is truly made of gold. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe visit the temple every single day; some come to heal themselves, some come to pray, some come to thank God for abundance.
You first wash your feet -- in warm water, thank God! -- touch your head to the ground, and proceed through the front gate. In the center is the huge Golden Temple, surrounded by a big lake on all three sides and a walk on one of them.
We walk the periphery of the lake and come to a tree that has been there for hundreds of years. Papaji, Guri's grandfather, shares a story of how a leper went in and came out healed; some of your sins are said to be washed away if you take a dip in these Ganges of the Sikhs. In Western terminology, the river carries a powerful vibration that realigns your subtle vibrations.
The Guru Granth Sahib, Sikh scripture, asks all devotees to take a dip everytime they're there. And in the summer, everyone is more than willing. But this is c-c-cold winter. I was with nine Sikhs, and none of them were about to step in. Out of the thousands and thousands of people, few folks stepped in and a couple souls braved the chilling water to dive in!
Guri and I got our feet wet and I really wanted to jump in. Actually, I was about to jump in but then, I heard echoes of rational voices from behind us -- "It's cold," "You didn't bring an extra pair of clothes," "You'll get sick." Actually, they were right. So Guri and I stepped out.
[ read more ... ]by Nipun Mehta on Feb 5 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'pilgrim-punjab'
Sat-Sri-Akal
I asked Goga-Mama, "So what's there to see in Punjab?" He said, without hesitation, "Hospitality."
Today, as I leave this small-city, large-village in Punjab, I have definitely experienced Punjab by that definition. To pick us up in Delhi, Kaka-Mama travelled eight hours one-way! We came home and he insisted on us using their master bedroom. Another Aunt hand-stitched a "Punjabi" outfit for Guri, within a day! Kuljit took me around town on his scooter and showed me all the spots -- including an Internet stop which took me 40 minutes to send TWO emails! 84-year-old Papaji took me on long walks across the fields and through the Gurudwara, explaining the culture and history (and farming). As we left, all family members took time off from their work to line up outside our car and wave heartfelt goodbyes.
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by Nipun Mehta on Feb 6 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'pilgrim-punjab'