Daily Times

Punjab – a land of intellectuals, religious and cultural heritage

Punjab, a land of five rivers, takes pride in itself for its cultural heritage, exuberant festivals and lively people. The creative land of Punjab mushroomed many religions and political movements. It gave birth to several intellectuals i.e. Baba Fareed, Shah Hussain, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Sultan Bahu, Baba Guru Nanak and so on. Baba Guru Nanak is one of those iconic figures the fertile land of Punjab produced. He was the founder of Sikhism – a religion whose believers are known as Sikhs.

The essence of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur for Sikh community:

Gurdwara holds the same importance for the Sikh community as the holy places hold for any other religion to their respective followers. Basically, Sikhs celebrate four major festivals in a year. First, Baisakhi – the Sikh Solar New Year Day. Second, Maghi Festival. Third, Holla Mohalla Festival and lastly Guru Nanak Jayanti. Guru Nanak Jayanti is one of the most important festivals for Sikh pilgrims. This is the day when Sikhs celebrate the death anniversary of Guru Nanak who founded the Sikh faith. The Guru Sahib has been worshipped as the supreme authority of Sikhism and is considered the eleventh and final guru of Sikhism.

In 1521, Guru Nanak sahib laid the foundation of the first gurdwara in Kartarpur, on the banks of Ravi River in the Punjab region. He spent the last 18 years of his life there (1521 – 1539) there. This place has great importance for the Sikh community in many perspectives; especially religious and historical. On average, 27 million Sikhs are living around the world and every year, hundreds of thousands of Sikh devotees from India come to Pakistan to pay tribute to their legendary leader (Baba Guru Nanak). Kartarpur corridor is a great milestone to provide them easy access to reach their destination (gurdwara). Simple, the launching of the Kartarpur corridor, in reality, is a green signal of peace, collaboration, harmony and unity.

Development phases of Kartarpur Corridor:

Kartarpur Corridor is a four-lane highway linking Gurdaspur-Amritsar road to the International borders for Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. According to an agreement, the construction of the corridor was divided into two phases. As mentioned below, the construction of phase 1 and phase 2 have been completed by India and Pakistan respectively.

Phase 1: The Indian government constructed the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to the border. India will also contract the ‘state of the art’ terminal’s building. The total estimated cost for the construction of the terminal building is 190 crore. The terminal complex will have all the necessary passenger amenities to facilitate the Sikhs pilgrims. The Ministry of home affairs approved the complete layout plan of this building.

Phase 2: The Pakistan government constructed the rest of the corridor connecting the border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the Kartarpur area of Narowal. It is 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles) away from the Pakistan-India border. This project is fully funded by the government of Pakistan with no foreign funding involved. Around 1500 acre land is acquired, and the government has paid 15 billion rupees for it. The infrastructure development of Kartarpur has been done while considering all the historical and religious perspectives of the Sikhs community. During the initial (planning/designing) stages of the project, Sikh representatives were also involved with a view to protecting their interests.

The building of Gurdwara:

The present building of Kartarpur Gurdwara was built in 1925 at a cost of Rs. 135,600. The money was donated by Sardar Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala. The building is very appealing from the outside and is equally attractive from the inside. White color minarets with golden coating on top depict a sign of gratefulness.  Nisan Sahib, which is the Sikh flag, is the first main feature of gurdwara you see. This flag can be seen from the outside of any gurdwara to show a Sikh place of worship.  The color of the flag is saffron, which stands for sacrifice and courage.

While you enter the gurdwara, you will see the number of signboards and symbols over there i.e. instruction boards, no smoking, switch your cell phone off, don’t talk, etc. Just after the entrance from the main gate, you will see the number of shoe racks that are used to put shoes. Incomers wash their hands and mouth in order to make sure that they are neat and clean before to show up in front of their respected leader (Baba Guru Nanak sahib). All these actions depict a sign of respect.

There are four gates of the gurdwara which means that you are welcome from every side. Moreover, the room where Baba Guru Nanak’s grave is located is known as Diwan hall. The hall is always illuminated with lights. These lights show that blessings spread from dawn to dusk for those who are affiliated with Baba Guru Nanak. Lastly, Baba Guru Nanak Sahib is placed on a raised platform which is called a Takht and is covered by a cloth called Palki. The Guru Granth Sahib is kept wrapped in Rumalas, which are holy clothes.

Above mentioned points are showing the importance of Gurdwara for Sikh pilgrims and also depicting the beauty of the building.

Fruits of Kartarpur Corridor – peace, economic development and political harmony

Article 36 of the constitution of Pakistan protects the rights of minorities, this step shows how Pakistan is actually committed to ensuring the delivery in letter and spirit. The development of this corridor is meant to bring harmony, peace and religious freedom/tolerance. There are bright chances that, after this step, two hostile nations will come close to each other in the near future.

The corridor is also expected to open the doors of economic development. Undoubtedly, both cities have the potential for trade, and good trade will facilitate both countries to reduce the barriers. It will promote the import and export of several goods including vegetables, sugar, wheat, and fruits at lower prices. Moreover, the tourist industry will boost, thus helping people of both countries. Pakistan’s leadership has not limited itself to this corridor alone, but, in the future, it is expected that arrangements will also be done for Hindu pilgrims who want to visit the Katas Raj Temple and Sharda Peeth.

The corridor is also a great sign of political harmony. It is expected that the corridor will bring two nations under an umbrella where both sit together and resolve past conflicts through dialogue. History predicted that nations learn from their past and prepare for their future. For instance, Japan fought World War II and lost its resources, people, military power, territory, etc. When the War ended, they amended their foreign policy and changed direction to strengthen themselves economically rather than militarily. Similarly, Mexico and America were great enemies in the past, but now both the countries celebrate ‘National Good Neighbour Day’ every year on September 28. The purpose of this day is that Americans can spend quality time with their neighbors and ultimately eliminates the issues between the two countries. Pakistan is a peace-loving country it wants to co-exist peacefully with its all neighbors, including India and this step is a practical implementation of the intentions. Therefore, the development of the Kartarpur corridor is an initiative of Pakistan to extend a hand of friendship towards India in resolving longstanding hostilities.

Special benefits for Sikhs community:

Pakistan’s government announced two special benefits for the Sikhs community. Firstly, it is the first time in the history of Pakistan that Sikhs won’t need a passport – just a valid ID to enter Pakistan and visit their holy places. Secondly, they no longer have to register 10 days in advance and no fee will be charged on the day of inauguration & on Guruji’s 550th birthday.

Inauguration of Kartarpur corridor:

Since 1947 when India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain, this is the first time that Indian Sikh pilgrims would be able to travel to Pakistan without a visa. While inaugurating the project in November 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan stated, “There have been mistakes on both sides [in the past], but there is a need to move forward. The past is there only to teach us, not for us to live in.” This pathway (corridor) will not only connect Sikhs to Kartarpur but also provides a way among two nations to come, sit, negotiate and sort out the problems through peaceful means and purposeful talks. The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Moreover, the congress leader of India, Navjot Singh Sidhu is the first to receive an invitation for the opening ceremony from the neighboring country.

Factually, the building of the Kartarpur corridor is a win-win situation, provided India welcomes it in the same spirit as Pakistan is doing.

The writer currently serves in the Digital Marketing department at Zaitoon, Lahore