545th birth anniversary: Guru Nanak’s birthday unites minorities

Whether it’s Diwali or Christmas, the neighbours of Narayanpura participate in every religious occasion.

KARACHI: The birthday of Guru Nanak is not only celebrated by Singhs and Sardars, but also the Christian and Hindu residents of the city, who are taking forward Sikhism founder’s message of harmony.

On the occasion of Guru Nanak’s 545th birth anniversary marked on Sunday evening, the gurdwara in Ranchore Lines, like every year, opened its arms to Christians and Hindus.

Clean-shaven Jameel Maqbool was busy fixing flowers on the palki, a steel carrier to hold the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, as it made rounds in the area. “I live next door to the gurdwara and I have been part of this as long as I can remember.”



Whether it is Diwali or Christmas, the neighbours of Narayanpura make sure that they participate in every religious occasion. Once the preparations were complete, Maqbool left in a rush to freshen up before he would come back and greet the procession with bhangra. “Do see my dance,” he shouted before he left.

In a small room, Azra - a Christian woman who married a Sikh man - was indulged in ‘sewa’ - she was breaking petals off flowers and filling plastic bags with them. The flowers would be distributed to every house and showered to celebrate the joy, she explained. The shy woman said that she follows her festivals regularly but enjoys the Sikh ones as well.

With Hindus in the majority in the neighbourhood, Ramesh stood outside his house waiting for the procession to come out of the gurdwara. “We go every year,” his elderly mother explained. “The entire neighbourhood joins in the festivities.”

Overseeing the last-minute preparations, Ashok Singh, the man with an orange turban, boasted that their festivities were open to all. “There are no differences between us as we are promoting humanity.”

The evening kicked off with Granti Deepak Singh reading from the holy scripture in the newly-painted gurdwara adorned with lights. Inside the devotees bowed in front of the Guru Granth Sahib and murmured their prayers. Manju, a Sikh girl who came with her five sisters, said that she was praying for a chance to visit the Golden Temple in India. “I am praying really hard to baba this time,” she smiled.

The first two days of the anniversary are filled with prayers while the third day is full of festivities, her sister explained. “The main festivities are held at the gurdwara,” she said, as the area echoed with firecrackers set alight by the children. The courtyard started filling in with more people. Elderly women sat on the steps as the younger ones ran inside, dressed in their best clothes.

Soon after, the Guru Granth Sahib is led around the gurdwara and returned with music and dhols. The Granti, a person who reads from the holy book, does more readings of the holy scripture, thought-provoking sessions, and prayers for the entire community. At the end of the evening, the volunteers distribute food, comprising soy beans, qeema, halwa and mash ki daal, which has been prepared for nearly 1,500 people. The celebrations end well after 2am.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2013.