Our first stop was
My visit coincided with my sister's twenty fifth wedding anniversary. The only thing I dread more than the
After participating in discussions pertaining to the menu at least forty times from the moment I landed till the party started, I was completely turned off from the prospect of facing the much vaunted line up on the buffet table.
"What was that?" I asked in horror. "Oh, that was Pammi bhaiya showing off as usual." He replied with absolutely no emotion in his voice.
"I hope those were not live cartridges." I sounded more hopeful than convinced.
"Of course they were real. His dad is a big shot builder and he presented this gun to him last year. Normally he fires at least 8-10 rounds." He replied sounding like someone who had been let down.
This was a first for me, leaving me gasping and excited like a college student who had lost his virginity on a prom night, prompting a flurry of SMS' to my wife and friends in Mumbai informing them of the incident. Now I was totally convinced that I was born into this creed by accident.
The next evening we arrived at
A quick shower and a change of clothes later we were ready to venture out. It was close to
I had seen the monument many a times on TV and in pictures and had imagined myself countless times standing at its grand entrance. But nothing had prepared me for the first glimpse of the magnificently lit golden edifice and its shimmering, dancing reflection in the waters of the pond surrounding it.
The silence of the night, the cold marble under our naked feet, the shining full moon with millions of stars in the stillness of the warm summer night accentuated the magnificence of the glowing monument. I knew I was looking at a sight I would never forget for the rest of my life.
It was now past midnight and we were informed that the doors to the shrine would open at three in the morning, time enough for us to catch forty winks and come back.
We promptly overslept and returned at eight only to be confronted by a long winded line of devotees. It was Sankranti, a very auspicious day that witnesses huge turnout from far and wide. But unlike some temples that I have visited elsewhere in the country where you queue up for hours for a fleeting glimpse of the deity lasting a precious few seconds, there was no pushing or jostling nor any overzealous guardian at the gate of the deity rushing you through the darshan, and thankfully no separate lines for 'special darshan' for the 'connected' devotees. As we made our way, the sweet melody of the 'gurubani' flowing from overhead speakers and the whiff of the 'khada prasad' enveloped us in its entirety, soothing the soul at the same time heightening our senses, preparing us for the highly anticipated tryst with 'The One'.
continued…
I have been to the golden temple and the feeling is the same. Waiting for more
Jasmeetji, i liked this. Waiting for the third one. Do write soon.
Absolute “Sidhu-ism” , “Excited like a college student..”if at all I can compare. Part 1 was much eventful in contrast you mellowed down a bit in part 2.
Great going and the question you put about being Born into this creed was hilarious……in my quest for ancestors this incident will be put as a piece of evidence. Waiting for the next part.