Kartarpur Sahib gives an opportunity to Indo-Pak Rotarians to meet and bond

A 34 member-group of Rotarians and their families from RI District 3055, and other districts across India undertook a spiritual-cum-fellowship trip to the sacred shrine Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan recently. “There we met a group of some 60 Pakistani Rotarians from Lahore and other places, spent a couple of hours with them exchanging flags and sharing the langar food. This journey not only celebrated spirituality and unity but also highlighted Rotary’s global commitment to peace, service and international collaboration,” said Harish Tekchandani, secretary of RC Ahmedabad Heritage.

What he calls “a momentous event, underscoring the power of fellowship in fostering cross-border relationships”, took a lot of planning and coordination with the Pakistani Rotarians, who were keen to meet and welcome the Indian group on their land. As is well-known, the Kartarpur Sahib, located along the banks of the Ravi River in Pakistan, holds deep religious and cultural significance for not only Sikhs, as it is the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, but also devotees from several other communities. “I am a Sindhi, there were other non-Sikh Punjabis and others in our group, and all of us went there with faith and devotion in our hearts, and prayers on our lips,” he adds.

Apart from the great spiritual experience, what Rotarians on both sides will remember are some special moments, setting aside their differences of caste, religion and culture in the spirit of shared humanity.
-Harish Tekchandani, Secretary, RC Ahmedabad Heritage

Asked about visa hassles, the Rotarian explains that no visa is required to make the trip to Kartarpur Sahib, but the condition is that you have to return the same evening. An application has to be made to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs with the relevant documents, and police verification is done before their travel is cleared. From Amritsar they made the two-hour bus journey to the Indo-Pak border, where they had to first clear Indian Immigration. Here, all the members of the group were given polio drops as Pakistan is not yet polio-free. “From there, an electric BSF buggy dropped us on the Pakistan border which we crossed on foot; a few steps later, a bus of Pakistani Rangers, which we found in very good condition, took us to the Kartarpur Sahib which is a little over 4km away.”

At the sacred monument, the Pakistani Rotarians were waiting for them, and on behalf of the Indian Rotarians, Rajiv Gulati, president of RC Ahmedabad Heritage, gave an introduction and read out a message from RID 3055 DG Mohan Parashar.

Fortunately, after the prayers and the langar, the women had a little time to go to the nearby market and shop to their heart’s content!

“We were extremely happy to organise and host this multidistrict initiative aimed to celebrate the spiritual essence of Kartarpur Sahib while emphasising the power of unity that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. The meticulously coordinated itinerary took participants from Amritsar to the Kartarpur Corridor, which was not only a spiritual journey but also a powerful demonstration of Rotary’s international reach,” says club president Gulati.

Tekchandani added that a heartwarming aspect of the journey was the warm reception from Rotarians in Pakistan. The Pakistani group included four past district governors and one DGN. Anil Ghai, coordinator of the Indus Peace Park, and club president Gulati worked closely with the Indian and Pakistani Rotarians to plan the entire event and ensure a “meaningful fellowship”. Apart from exchanging club flags, the Rotarians also exchanged gifts; while the Pakistanis got delicious khakhras from Gujarat, the Indians got some beautiful shawls.

“At the end of the day, apart from the great spiritual experience, what Rotarians on both sides will remember are some special moments, such as sharing the langar prasad at the Kartarpur Sahib, setting aside their differences of caste, religion and culture in the spirit of shared humanity,” added Tekchandani.

Following the horrendous terrorist attack in Pahalgam on tourists, and closing of Indo-Pak borders, Kartarpur Sahib darshan will elude Indians for some time