One Day in Kartarpur, Pakistan
The morning was particularly exhilarating. I woke up before the sun and surprisingly took the first sip of my tea as I devoured the most butter-filled paranthas straight out of Amritsari lanes. In total, we were 21 people of the Phithani clan, young and old alike, marching towards the Indo-pak borders like a bunch of ants walking towards the single crystal of sugar. That metaphor wasn’t as sweet when we were hoping to a ‘not so friendly’ neighbouring country with a jar full of hope in our hearts. A hope that has kept us alive. A hope to meet your loved ones. A hope that united us, momentarily. A hope that made me visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
To give you some context, the Kartarpur corridor was built as a result of Delhi-Lahore diplomacy, and opened its gate for Indian pilgrimages in 2019, on the occasion of 550th birthday of Guru Nanak. It is a visa-free border crossing and religious corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Lahore in Pakistan to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, India. The crossing allows devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan, 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) from the India–Pakistan border on the Pakistani side without a visa.
As a child of partition, my grandparents moved to India in the late 80’s along with our joint family of uncles and aunts. The decision to move to another country was difficult albeit important. However, most of our paternal family chose to stay back. What followed were a series of cross-country travels ventured by the entire family in the last 30 years (both Indian and Pakistani). Fun fact – I’ve also travelled to Pakistan and lived there for a month which is a story for some other day.
Amidst the adventurous travels that my grandparents took every once in a while, old age caught up. The visits reduced and the longing grew.
Nevertheless, everything came to a standstill when we stepped foot in the holy shrine of Sri Kartarpur Sahib, the place where Guru Nanak ji spent the last 20 years of his life. But for me, more importantly, the place where my grandmother met her nieces and nephews after 8 years.
In the middle of what seemed to be a fraction of a second, I captured the most precious moments that will forever be etched in my memory. The emotions of love, separation, hope and the reality of partition.
As per protocol, the visitors are allowed to enter the gurudwara from 11am to 4pm. And best believe that we did not let one moment pass by without fully living it through our veins.
My aunt, who got married before my family decided to migrate to India, got us gifts that seemed invaluable. And in return, we gave them a model of the Golden Temple, Amritsar.
I believe that in the course of attaining political prowess, human race forgot the reason for our existence. Love, family and togetherness. While the man-made borders divide, these three emotions unite.
There are many anecdotes that I might not be able to share here with you. But for any insider updates, you know where to find me. Till then, I hope you enjoy the photo gallery.
Feel free to share your stories of unusual and adventurous travels in the comments!
Story by: Namrata Phithani
How beautifully encapsulated! Love to see this union <3
thank you Nishtha