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The Gladiators:
The 285 km Walk for Gurpuri

DYA SINGH

 

 

 

We successfully completed the 'walk' (285 km from Silat Road Gurdwara in Singapore to Malacca Gurdwara in Malaysia) on schedule.

No one but those walking and those helping will be able to fathom what an amazing external and internal journey this was.

Generally 20 km in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. All this in equatorial Singapore and Malaysia where it was either torrential rain with thunder and lightening or searing heat above and hot tarmac (road) under foot, not forgetting fast and furious vehicular traffic even on the smaller roads.

Each of us who completed the journey (eleven of us) could write a personal account of it but suffice it to say we experienced different sides of our personality - most importantly, that we had the will to finish it.

There were those who treat a daily 20 km run, the occasional 40 km walk a normal daily routine (brothers in their 60's Gurdip and Sarjit). There were youth and young adults who had never walked more than five kilometres in their lives (e.g., Amanpreet Kaur and Sukhbir Kaur who also made great 'cha' for us every morning, and many others who joined us for various legs of the journey).

And there were oldies like Vikram Singh ji and I who walk the occasional 5-10 km as a fitness regime in our sixties. Serial walker David was a constant inspiration as he not only shepherded us throughout but also filmed a documentary and photographed as he walked with us.

Last but not least, there was Rishi. More of him later.

We all completed the task with very sore feet, ankles, knees, thighs and hips - very very sore and blistered feet!

There were others too numerous to mention who joined us for part of the journey. But notably, there was Menjit who, with his two brothers, is part of a Punjabi 'pop ' group, the Gold Card. They have a number of Punjabi pop bhangra albums. Otherwise professionals in a variety of fields, they do music as a past time! Menjit walked with us for almost 200 km in a fair amount of pain but completed the course with us - a great personal achievement for him, I think.

The welcome and seva of the sangat in Singapore, Johore Bharu, Pontian, Batu Pahat, Muar and Malacca (towns on the way) was something only Sikhs are capable of.

Young Gurjit Kaur and Ravinder Kaur, two physios from Bains Physiotherapy Organisation, used to rub us down and resurrect us in between our walks. They were a contributing factor in completing this walk and our finishing it at all.

Our vehicular support was by S. Menjit Singh. Kishore watched over us keeping us plied with cold water, cold towels and anything else we needed as we walked.

As I always say - the best way to see any country is to walk it. After the urban jungle and well manicured Singapore it was the lush-green, tropical, rural Malaysia that grabs you - friendly rural folks, quaint 'kampongs', fresh coconuts to drink and local bananas, pineapples, guava, mangoes, and other exotic tropical fruit on the way.

Rural Malaysia is still the country I love most.

I must make mention of the amazing rural scene as you approach historic Malacca which has strong Portuguese, Dutch and old Chinese influences. There are even some mosques housed in old buildings with distinct Chinese features.

The reception in Malacca was amazing with the Sikh-Malaysian marching band, Dashmesh, and a 'dhol' group who kept in sync with the rhythm of the band.

Over 5000 Sikhs turned up to welcome us.

For me this was a personal achievement after minor operations on both knees and at one point not even being able to sit down crosslegged! This was a difficult ask, but then, Baba ji was overseeing the whole project.

The journal would not be complete without mention of Rishi, the Flying Singh.

Rishi is a radio DJ here, and occasional relief aid worker. He has been to disaster regions like Acheh after the tsunami; Haiti; Phillipines; East Malaysia and Myanmar after typhoon Nargis. Never one to back away from doing any good for anyone wanting, this was a wild idea by him to collect much needed funds for Gurpuri, the Malaysian Sikh Orphanage and needy single mothers home.

Rishi is always brimming with ideas, and always a hands-on person. He has his heart in the right place and he is larger than life. So he has God on his side. Rishi makes a difference and he is different. And due credit to him. He struggled along but he completed the walk in a fair amount of pain as he was probably the most underprepared of all of us. But, as I said earlier, Rishi has the Guru on his side!

He has this crazy idea of an 800 km walk for next year! I am going to lie low, hoping he jumps onto something else meanwhile!

What did this walk achieve besides some funds for an orphanage?

I was amazed at the response we received, especially on Facebook. There are others now who wish to do similar walks. We have started a healthy trend associated with Sikh simran and who knows - a spectacular 800km walk through Malaysia next year if Rishi gets his way.

Sikhi parchar in Malaysia now has a new meaning associated with physical fitness.

To make a difference one needs to be different and if Sikhs are prepared to listen, do simran and walk with us, then I want to be part of that 'being different'.

This is my fifth long 'walk' in Malaysia and I can see Sikhs walking for Sikhi in the future. After all, our venerable Baba ji, Guru Nanak Sahib did 'walk' halfway around this planet. We are merely following the example he set for us.

So, Waheguru willing!

Cheers (with plenty of good clean sweet water which thankfully we had plenty of) to outdoor Sikhi rather than strictly indoor Sikhi (with less sweet unhealthy 'cha')!

 

May 29, 2014

Conversation about this article

1: Sangat Singh  (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), May 29, 2014, 8:48 AM.

Dya ji, you are amazing ... unlike the grandfather who was advised to walk at least 5 miles a day and took the advice seriously. We let him walk ... and that was last year. We haven't found him yet. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw you at the weekly satsang and was able to hug you in one go. You lost some weight. Hope it is not just misplaced.

2: Kavita Munjal (Gurgaon, India), May 30, 2014, 12:09 AM.

It's amazing to see how Baba ji can make anything possible. Need to applaud the will power of Sikhs and all who participated in this walk.

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The 285 km Walk for Gurpuri"









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