Gurdaspur Diary: 'Waive passport condition for pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib'

Recently, 16 AAP MLAs paid obeisance at the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan after making their way through the Kartarpur corridor. The consensus that emerged was that the mandatory requirement of having a passport to visit the shrine was not practical and that it should be waived by the Union Home Ministry. In a way, they were right. A majority of people living in rural areas do not have this document, hence, are unable to cross over. Devotees also insist that the US 20 Dollar fee that is collected by them when they enter Pakistan, too, should be put on hold. An officer said pilgrims can never be exempted from this fee. “The Pakistan government has spent nearly 700 crore rupees on building its side of the corridor. They are trying to offset the costs by imposing this fee. Once the costs are recovered, only then will Pakistan think of letting devotees cross over free of cost. Till then nothing is going to happen,” he said.

Do not take sport seriously unless it is Glenn Maxwell masterpiece!

Sport is the toy department of life. Hence, the happenings on the field should not be taken seriously, unless, of course, it is a Glenn Maxwell masterpiece! In India people tend to take sport too seriously. An ancient civilisation simply refuses to embrace modernity. It is still stuck with the thinking that if we lose a match, we lose everything. This is not the case, it never should be. The other day, here in Gurdaspur, when the TV was throwing up enchanting images of the world cup final, people got involved a bit too much for comfort. With the Kangaroos all set to chase 240, residents got hysterical. Groups of women reached temples to pray for an Indian win. The auto-rickshaws had stopped plying. The bazaars wore a deserted look. Even the mannequins placed outside the showrooms were feeling lonely as there was nobody to stare at them. The begging class at the local railway station made one big huddle. And in that huddle was placed a made-in-1950 transistor relaying the latest from Ahmedabad. The deities were taken out, dusted, placed in living rooms and worshipped. Morning walkers the next day could be seen having long and dejected faces and drooping shoulders. Agreed, that sport sometimes defies conventional understanding. But then somebody must tell sports aficionados that a game is meant to be enjoyed and subsequently buried in the sands of time. Here Maxwell must step in. His innings against Afghanistan beggars belief. The steepness of the ascent was set, the gradient was unenviable. Still, the man went on and on, 70 per cent of the time on one leg. Many, particularly those who are adept in the use of the hyperbole, termed it the “eighth wonder of the world.” The spectators sitting in the Wankhede will tell their grandchildren that they were indeed at the stadium when the man painted his own Picasso. He celebrated every shot like it was his last chance, which it often felt like it might be. He truly had his 15 minutes of fame, a clear reference to American film director Andy Warhol’s statement that “in the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” So do not take sport seriously unless, of course, it is a Maxwell masterpiece! Just sit in front of the TV, savour the moment and then forget. ravi dhaliwal

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