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Spice of Life | A tale of two brothers from different mothers, religions
My keen interest in deciphering the in-depth connotations of the verses in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib matched my colleague’s inner inquisitiveness to learn the true import of the Srimad Bhagavadgita, writes Ashok Bhardwaj
The sacred Punjabi quote, Eh vi data teri data (Everything bestowed upon me is by the Almighty), written in calligraphic twirls on the welcome board of my home presented by my former colleague, Kulwant Singh, is testimony to our camaraderie and unflinching trust for decades.
My keen interest in deciphering the in-depth connotations of the verses in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib matched his inner inquisitiveness to learn the true import of the Srimad Bhagavadgita. We took immense pride in truly personifying the dictum of Hindu-Sikh unity. A routine attendee of his family functions, I was always one of his friends who reached in advance especially to be the part of the ceremony of Sri Akhand Path when being observed at his home, no surprises for guessing, he was the only turbaned man attending our Hindu ceremonies at my home.
Like two peas in a pod, hardly did we ever engage in a parochial debates and quarrels in a bid to know which religion between two was better and exercised supremacy; rather our discussions bordered on the mutual curiosity to exchange pearls of wisdom in our scriptures and epics, besides taking delight in drawing analogies, similarities and associations between the two religions.
Not only did we relish our togetherness while working in the government school raising the brows of many fundamentalists and fanatics, but we also as travel buddies journeyed across the length and breadth of the country during vacations. Our itineraries planned in advance never subject to a particular place were more about paying obeisance at all historic and sacred destinations, be it temples, gurdwaras, mausoleums, synagogues and churches with equal fervour and faith.
Even today my mornings begin with the chanting of the Gurbani that I’ve learnt to memory in his cherished presence, while he too made significant strides in reciting Hindu hymns to the surprise of many. During our long-winded talks, my gratitude at times acknowledged the valour of the Sikh gurus, who laid down their lives to safeguard Hindus from foreign invasions, though, in reciprocation, he didn’t exhibit the slightest qualms in addressing me as brother from a different mother, often underlining our common historical lineage that traced its origin with the revered first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev, born in a Hindu family.
Accustomed to hugging each other every morning and exchanging smiles in our routine passing along the corridors, our smooth and seamless ways of regular meeting got a discouraging dent as we both retired in a short span, and his decision to shift to Canada to his only son proved to be the last nail in the coffin that meant our common paths were now willy-nilly cleaved to two directions, courtesy the unrelenting compulsions of time. In the news for all the wrong reasons, the wave of separatism trying to raise its ugly head had caused immense stir and stoked disturbance into the inmost corners of my heart.
Of late, his unexpected call from the foreign land to know about my well-being, eventually serving as an effective salve to my mental travails when he retorted in his loud sonorous voice that neither could any physical boundary nor political barrier separate many like us tied by the unbreakable uniform cord of compassion, bonhomie and love. A smile of relief was proof that all my inner speculations and apprehensions were put to rest; thankfully by none other than my confidant for life.
The writer is a Mukerian-based retired government school headmaster. He can be reached at ak.bhardwaj3103@gmail.com
