Image Courtesy: mensxp.com
In another show of solidarity and communal harmony, the followers of Guru Nanak (Nanak Naam Lewa) have helped renovate and reopen a gurudwara at Janoji, Pakistan that had been lying closed since Partition. But what makes the renovation special is that there is no Sikh population in Janoji and the entire renovation was carried out by members of the Hindu and Muslim communities.
The gurudwara is in the Salehpat district in Sindh, Pakistan. Sindh has the highest population of Hindus and they continue to follow the Nanakpathi culture and are followers of Guru Nanak in spite of not being Sikh.
The gurudwara was opened on Friday as part of the celebrations marking the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak said Dewa Sikandar, a member of the Pakistan Hindu Council to The Indian Express. Apart from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, a Bhagwad Gita has also been installed at Gurudwara Baba Nanak.
“Gurdwara Baba Nanak has been reopened after a year of renovation work, which was carried out with the help of donations from Nanak Naam Lewa Sangat. The Hindu community living in Sukkur and Khairpur districts contributed and nearly Rs 6 lakh was spent to renovate the two-room gurdwara,” Sikandar told the paper.
“The local Muslim villagers arranged langar for the devotees. They prepared lunch and karha prasad and also decorated the gurdwara for opening day. Nanak Naam Lewa Sangat chanted Waheguru prayers as well as aarti,” Sikandar said, adding that Hindus in Sindh are ardent followers of Nanak and call themselves “Nanakpanthis”.
However, since there is a proper ‘maryada’ (ritual) to be followed for the sewa of the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikandar said that it would be taken to the main Salehpat gurudwara and brought back to the newly renovated gurudwara in Janoji once a year, till they find a permanent ‘granthi’ (ceremonial reader of the Holy Book). He added that a caretaker will live at the gurudwara and the Bhagwad Gita will continue to remain there.
Sikandar said that senior People’s Party Pakistan (PPP) leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, who was recently arrested in a corruption case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Pakistan also contributed Rs. 2 lakh to the gurudwara’s renovation.
This is just another example of communal harmony that has come to the fore in recent times. In India’s Kozhikode, a mosque committee postponed their celebrations to participate in a Hindu girl’s marriage. In West Bengal, India, a maulvi inaugurated a Hindu Kali temple that was renovated with the help of the Muslim community. In Tamil Nadu, Hindus observed ‘Allah Festival’ on the eve of Muharram. All over India, on the day of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, Muslims gave a grand welcome to Sikhs by participating in celebrations. Pakistan promoted inter-faith harmony by deciding to re-open 400 Hindu temples.
The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor by Pakistan has been hailed as a step forward in promoting inter-country peace. The incidents of communal harmony have been around for years, but have somehow been overshadowed and pushed on the sidelines by the politically charged communal hatred rhetoric that has always been used by partisan members of right-wing groups who have sought to paint a negative narrative of the minorities.
But we, as an organization that promotes harmony not hate, will strive to always bring you the real picture and make sure that you, the citizens, are not colored by views that work towards damaging the social fabric of the country.
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