I am Daarji

Our family is blessed because of the grace bestowed upon us by Baba Nanak…… Rai Saleem Akram Most of what we know about the legend and life of Guru Nanak comes to us through the much-loved tradition of stories or as we call them the Janam Sakhis. For centuries the storytellers in our villages in Punjab have narrated these tales imaginatively interlaced with events of history, perhaps crafting it a little here and there, swaying with the mood of the rapt listeners. Life in the 15 th century on the fertile plains between river Indus and river Ganges was, to say the least quite short on tranquillity and fraught with dangers of invading and marauding armies. However, in midst of all this was Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, a cocoon, lovingly nurtured by a temperate ruler… Rai Bullar Bhatti , a Muslim Rajput. He was a gentle giant; Hindu’s and Muslims respected him and lived in harmony on his estates on the banks of river Ravi. Rai Bular A few decades ago, the estate was re...

From the time I started delving into the minutiae of the life and teachings of Guru Nanak the information I gleaned was strewn and many a time not validated….but as I probed deeper the story that had been put together through the centuries was of a life so extraordinary and beautiful that it needs to be told over and over again in words and format that is contemporary to each generation. The divine flow of the life of Nanak has brought to fore many a person….The persona of Rai Bular Bhatti has been very stable and fascinating, rather it had been so out of the ordinary in times far from ordinary….that there was silent coercion in me to try and fill the blanks left in history…with the help of a little logical imagination. The Bhatti’s were the ‘Rajput warrior clan of Muslim origin’ Bhatti’s perhaps have taken their name from an ancestor named Bhatti, who was well-known as a warrior when the tribe was located in the Punjab…….were these the ancestors that were perhaps resi...

This was the header that caught my interest in a random online search…. ‘ Visiting Guru Nanak's Ancestral Village. Yes! in India’ ….. It sounded interesting for sure, but more than that it was rather intriguing. Now what is a reasonably common knowledge is that Mehta Kaalu and family lived and were well respected in the neighbourhood of Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi. Moreover as the Patwari of the revenue estates of Rai Bular Bhatti, Mehta Kaalu was held in high esteem. And Rai Bhoi di Talwandi is today ….Nanakana Sahib in Pakistan So how does Guru Nanak’s ancestral village come to be in India?...  The birthplace of Mehta Kalu I quite easily sourced the story from the article written by BS Goraya, Editor Punjab Monitor Magazine  , who wrote   about this on one of his sales trip to a village Dhotian…...and was keen to look around and see the places of historical interest. Two kilometers from village Jamarai, is Gurudwara Dera Sahib located in the reven...

   Nankana Sahib Gurudwara Sikh history originates from Nankana Sahib. Guru Nanak Dev ji, was born here in 1469. The name of the place at that time was Rai Bhoi di Talwandi. But if we step back in history this town was called Talwandi. it was the centre of the Punjab or Panjab as it was called then.   It is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king called Raja Virat and Talwandi was totally ransacked and destroyed by wave after wave of invaders and marauders. The earliest historical reference to the city of Talwandi is found in ballads. It is mentioned in the context of the first siege of Jaisalmer which occurred during the reign of Alla-ud-din Khilji (1295-1315). These were the tumultuous time in history, and perhaps to create a bulwark, the self-crowned   heads of Delhi Sultanate bundled out Punjab to Muslim warrior chiefs in exchange for peace. One of these chiefs was Rai Bhoi Bhatti, a Muslim of the Bhatti Rajput tribe….. ...

So said, Dalai Lama………. Saints like Guru Nanak make their presence felt in this weary world in order to show the right path to the suffering humanity by personal sacrifice and example. The message of Guru Nanak was a real blessing at the time when India was in grave crisis. The foundation of Sikhism is laid on the teachings of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak's teachings centred on the firm belief in one ‘Param Atma’, earning an honest living and sharing, and that all the people of all religions are equal . Guru Nanak disentangled people from the buildup of errors through ages and encouraged them not to harbour prejudices in mind and to reject rules and rituals which shackled them in dogmatic confusion of 'Kalyug', by and by guiding them towards spirituality. Guru Nanak laid stress on keeping true faith in God and pursuing the path of good, and truth which leads one towards God.   He often said that God was inside oneself.           ...