Hearing about all that that was going on with the “Nagar Kirtan” on the television, it was one fine day that I booked my train ticket to Nanded, took an autorikshaw to New Delhi Railway Station, and boarded a train to Sachkhand Hazur Sahib. A kooli helped me to get from the autorikshaw to the platform where the train was supposed to arrive. A few minutes of making friends with the people waiting to board the train, and the train arrived from Amritsar, and I embarked for my new escapade outside the big city called Delhi.
Once inside, I made myself comfortable stretching out on the airconditioned berth on the lower level. And as I did, the railways staff started pouring in from the pantry next doors with all kinds of edibles from snacks, to Agra ka Petha and Pedas to Tea/ coffee/milk, lunch, dinner, breakfast, etc., and also bedsheets and blankets and towels and pillows. And so did the Kaar Sewaks from “Manmad” station with free snacks, tea, coffee,etc. As the neighbours in the carriage also made themselves comfortable there, conversations started about where they came from to the technology in their respective countries, to their skills, to the kinds of people in those countries, to people buying land on the moon!!! The couple from Malaysia talked about the automated trains there without drivers, that are run by computers, the ones from Australia talked about the kinds of people there, and the ones from America talked about trips to the moon for an x amount for general public. And amidst these conversations, the train halted at Nanded station, which seemed to be newly renovated and decorated in anticipation of visitors from all around the world.
An short trip in the autorikshaw and I reached the Yatri Niwas newly built for the Sangats. The rooms were as comfortable as those of hotels. Some freshening up, and I reached the Gurudwara Sachkhand Hazoor Sahib to pay my homage at the shrine. There was Nagar Kirtan just outside of the Gurudwara with decorated trucks with the priests and the Guru Granth Sahib ji inside and the priests distributing “Parshaad” and sweets, and people from all parts of the world participating in the same doing Kirtan outside those trucks. As I made my way through the crowds to the holy shrine, I noticed teams of television staff busy relaying the full coverage all over India. The priests inside performed the daily rituals and also displayed Guru Gobind Singh ji’s “Shastras”, the hundreds of years old armaments. Some of these were also displayed in the “Nagar Kirtan” trucks outside.
After paying my homage, I proceeded to the many Langar halls setup at different places in the small city of Nanded, a city of “steadfast devotion, scholarship, and saintly sacrifice”. These varied from a big “Langar Hall” inside the Gurudwara premises with a big skylight being it’s main feature to many other “Langar pandaals” or tents all over Nanded organized in celebration of the festival by “Kaar Sewaks” fro all over the world. All of Nanded was asked not to cook at home all throughout the festival days, and have a feast at these Langars, which included a Chinese food Langar, and and others serving North Indian food complete with sweet dishes like “Jalebi” and “Kheer”.
A good night’s rest and I was ready to explore the new found land further. I negotiated with a local autorikshaw driver to show me all the local Gurudwaras in the area. And amidst talks about the farms there, the new airport, which we went by, the crops, the countryside, and the fresh breeze, we saw Gurudwara Maltekri Sahib ji, Gurudwara Sangat Sahib ji, Gurudwara Shikar Ghat Sahib ji, Gurudwara Mata Sahib Devan ji, Guruwara Heera Ghat Sahib ji, Gurudwara Nagina Ghat ji, Gurudwara Bandaghat Sahib ji, Gurudwara Damdama Sahib ji, Basmatnagar, and Gurudwara Bawli Damdama Sahib ji.
Six o’clock the next morning, and I was off to Bidar in a four-wheel drive, alongwith some farmer friends from Punjab, who had also come for the Guruta Gaddi celebrations. The four-wheel drive drove us all the way to Karnataka, almost crossing Andhra Pradesh on the side, amidst Jaikara’s of “Bole so nihaal, sat sri akaal”. We saw Gurudwara Nanak Jhera at Bidar, and another one on the way. The conversations of the farmers accompanying me ranged from “Submersible pumps” to “Sant Giani Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale” that was. By late evening, we got dropped back at Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib.
After the fourth of November, when the celebrations were over, I started asking people around on what else was there to be seen at Nanded, I got to know about a new Mall that is under construction close to sachkhand, on the other side of Godavari river, across one of the six bridges linking the sprawling habitation on either side of the Godavari. The new Mall that is coming up is complete with a hyper-market, a major fast-food outlet, smaller shops, a large atrium, a food-court, office spaces, a multiplex and hotel rooms. The evenings I enjoyed at the local restaurants that served anything from Paranthas to Chinese to Non-vegetarian food too.
The day after that, I indulged in watching a movie at a local cinema and the evening I spent at a major bazaar that was still very well decorated with all the roads and buildings lit-up with flashing lights. There were also the new high-rise apartments for “Kaar-Sewaks” on the same road, alongwith the old Gurudwara Sarais for visitors and Langar Halls. Another day of making friends with visitors from all over the world there, and I headed back home the next day, on Sachkhand Express. The views of the farms on the way and conversations with people on the train and the food and the courtesy of the railway staff took me back to Delhi for me to get back to my daily routine.
Hervinder Bhandari
New Delhi-110048