A long walk and a life lesson

IT was on a lazy day in March that my 61-year-old aunt, her 20-something son and I (in my thirties) decided to visit Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib — nearly 16 km from our home at Khasa, not far from the Attari border in Amritsar district. Initially, it was my cousin and I who had planned to go, but when my aunt heard about it, she instantly entered the fray.

“Are you sure about it?” we asked her, but she seemed determined: “If any of us gives up, we can call someone for help. For a long time, I have dreamt of walking all the way to this gurdwara.” But we — the young duo — didn’t have any religious purpose to go there; it’s just that we wanted to enjoy the long walk.

When we shared our plan with our family members, none of them believed that we could accomplish this difficult task. That didn’t deter us. In high spirits, we set off around 5 am next day, when it was still dark. We did not take any snacks along as we planned to partake of langar at the gurdwara.

Soon, we began experiencing the magic of dawn. It seemed as if the cool breeze was carrying us. We heard morning prayers being offered at gurdwaras on the way; some of them were located far away across the fields. Our eyes also fell on wedding homes which were still bathed in colourful lights. Many people were out for a walk — solo or in small groups. Some even gave us a curious stare as they had probably not seen us before.

By 6 am, when the sun had begun to rise, we were crossing Bhakna, the village of legendary freedom fighter and Ghadar hero Baba Sohan Singh. By the time we reached Dhand village, we saw local residents opening their shops. We hadn’t stopped anywhere for a break so far, and surprisingly did not do so till we reached our destination.

However, we froze in fear when my robust aunt lost her footing while excitedly showing us an exotic bird. Thankfully, she was up again; she blamed a little pothole for her fall and then resumed her walk. I suggested that we should slow down, but she didn’t agree.

By 8:30 am, we spotted our destination, and eventually we stepped inside the gurdwara, feeling elated and grateful. It’s all about mental strength, we concluded on completing our marathon of sorts. Thanks to our determination, nothing dampened my aunt’s enthusiasm. As planned, my uncle had come to pick us up. We were a bit tired, but our joy knew no bounds. The langar, followed by tea, was rewarding for us. Even while savouring the meal, we knew that this walk would never be forgotten by any of us.