After paying obeisance the procession of over 200 people to
Nankana Sahib, Pakistan from Indore returned to the city on Sunday with
blessings. In a first-of-its-kind road procession since India's partition, about
1,100 Sikh community members had joined this procession from India to Pakistan.
To celebrate the success of the ‘yatra’ and blessings of
Guru Nanak, a four-day Akhand Path Sahib was organised. Akhand Path is continuous
nonstop recitation of all the verses in the Guru Granth Sahib from the
beginning to the end, in 31 Ragas as specified, in all 1430 pages, lasting more
than 48 hours by a team of readers. This ritual is considered very holy and is
said to bring peace and solace to the participants and the passive listeners of
the recital. During the reading it is tradition for langar (or communal food)
to be available at all times, thus requiring the continual service and
dedication of those in whose honour the Akhand Path is being held.
The Akhand Path concluded on Sunday, when the entire
community gathered at Imli Sahib gurudwara to celebrate the success of trip and
express gratitude to Guru.
The procession from Indore was headed by Jathedars of Nankana
Sahib Yatra Jagadish Singh Tuteja and Ravindra Singh Khanuja, the procession
had begun from Indore on Nov 4, when the gathering left for their pilgrimage.
“The procession has been going to Nankana Sahib every year
for the last 15 years from Indore, but this year with the corridor, it was
easier,” Manjit Singh Bhatia, president of Shri Guru Singh Sabha, said.
Being grateful for everything is an essential part of
lessons imparted by Guru Nanak. “Attitude of gratitude is when you are grateful
for every breath of life as taught to us by Guru, so all those blessed ones who
could go to Nankana Sahib expressed their gratitude with the Path,” General secretary
Jasbir Singh Gandhi said.