Photos by Gurbir Sethi (G’Day India)
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Pomp & Splendour in New Zealand
by MANPREET KAUR SINGH
The atmosphere in the Uppal household in Melbourne, Australia was electric.
The voices chanting "Satnaam, Siri Waheguru ji" were filled with deep emotion, the hearts were buoyant, uplifted by great fervour; the air hung heavy, charged with palpable devotion and the eyes were sure that they were witnessing something very special - 31 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, enthroned majestically on the heads of 31 sevadaars, were ready to begin a remarkable journey from Melbourne to Auckland, New Zealand: a sight so awe-inspiring in its devotional grandeur, that international law agencies, immigration, customs and other authorities made unprecedented exceptions, ensuring a smooth passage for the royal procession, across the Tasman Sea.
A group of 45 sevadaars had flown in especially from New Zealand, to respectfully escort the 31 saroops back to their country. Every minute detail had been taken care of.
The sevadars were dressed in white and saffron, wearing blue surgical covers over their socks (so they won't have to wear shoes while carrying the saroops). Additional sevadaars were traditionally fanning the chaur sahib, while reciting holy verses all the way through.
Upon reaching the Melbourne International Airport, the authorities cooperated at every security check point - they were allowed to travel without shoes, additional handbag allowances were made so that Guru Granth Sahib and the chaur sahib, both could be taken on board; special containers were used for the x-ray scan, not the usual ones in which shoes and other items pass through a conveyor belt; at the immigration point, one sevadaar handed the passport to complete the legal formalities, while the 31 sevadars carried the holy scriptures on their head and continued with their paatth recitation.
Once on board the Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, all the sevadaars sat towards the rear end of the aircraft and at their request, all the other passengers were accommodated further up in the front. With the whole cabin area to themselves, the sevadaars continued to recite the holy verses in-flight.
In a further unprecedented move, the cabin crew agreed not to serve any food or wine/ beverages where the sevadars were seated, so that no alcohol was brought into the presence of the holy Granths ... if the sevadaars needed refreshments, they walked up to the galley and ate there before returning to their seats.
The crew members not only graciously complied with every request of the sevadaars,
but curiously asked questions about the Guru Granth and Sikhism
in general, to understand what they were witnessing.
Upon their arrival at Auckland airport, five lanes at the immigration area had been reserved for the sevadars; again, one person handed in all the passports, while those carrying the saroops continued to chant shabads. The authorities agreed to let the sevadaars take their sacred cargo through without putting them through conveyor belts or scanners. What's more, they even provided a police escort to the exit point and the whole cabin crew was inspired to walk out along with them. Many duty-free shops were closed temporarily (especially the liquor shops), in deference to the holy procession. Many shopkeepers, mostly Kiwi, stood there respectfully, with hands folded.
But the scene at the arrival area was even more surreal.
Thousands of Sikh-NewZealanders waited outside the arrival gates, headed by senior members of the Labour party, including Phil Goff, the leader of the Opposition in the Parliament and Chris Carter (who has been Minister for Ethnic Affairs for three terms). As the sevadaars began walking out with the saroops, the sangat spontaneously went down on their knees and bowed their heads in reverence, with onlookers completely mesmerised by their utter devotion.
Once outside, the sevadaars sat in buses, escorted by a cavalcade of cars to Guru Kalgidhar Gurdwara, Takanini. The sevadaars' feet were washed before they entered the gurdwara precincts and the holy saroops were laid for their nightly rest through the traditional sukh-aasan ceremony.
The saroops are now being sent to various other gurdwaras and households around New Zealand, to continue what can only be described as an amazing journey of pure love, devotion and illumination.
As S. Daljit Singh of Auckland narrated this whole sequence of events to me, I couldn't help thinking of the fables of how the seas part, mountains recede and the earth conspires when a divine force is in motion.
As Daljit Singh himself said," We had been making arrangements for this and negotiating with the New Zealand authorities for months; many people had warned us that international air travel laws are really stringent and it is near-impossible to bend the rules, so we should be ready for compromises. But I firmly believe that Baba Ji Himself made all of this happen - it wouldn't have been possible for us to arrange anything like this without divine intervention".
As for S Jatinder Singh Uppal of Melbourne, whose family has provided over 200 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib to various gurdwaras and households around Australia, even he was overtaken by the emotion of this regal journey to New Zealand.
"On that day, we were touched by God - He was amidst us. As I was placing the sacred saroops on the heads of the Sikhs from New Zealand, I could see their tears of joy flowing freely ... how can anyone describe that feeling? I have no words. I am indebted to God for giving us those moments of utter bliss and will always remain mortgaged to Him for his unending blessings".
May 1, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), May 01, 2010, 9:00 AM.
Reading the spectacular account of Guru Granth Sahib's agman/ welcome in New Zealand, whose heart wouldn't swell with pride. Just imagine the electric effect it would have produced on the normally sedate Kiwis. This shabad comes to mind: 'kubhu ubh akas pa-i-al' - 'Sometimes they are high in the ethers, sometimes in the nether region of the underworld'. We Sikhs seem to practice both these states with equanimity. We have the scene in New Zealand reaching for the sky and the one in Canada dropping down the bottomless abyss due to the recent shameful acts that required a mere few of the proverbial rotten apples to spoil the barrel. To add to the goodness, might I quote from sikhchic.com (Feb 19, 2009), the following, for ease of reference: "In 1911, King George V visited Delhi and a grand Delhi Darbar was held in the city. Maharajas of Sikh states requested Sant ji to lead the procession of Sikhs on this occasion. Seated on an elephant in the holy presence of Guru Granth Sahib, he sang gurbani as his elephant passed by the British King. The theme of the shabad was: "No King or Raja can be equal to Almighty God, because all these worldly rulers exist only for a very short span of time and indulge in falsehood". The shabad was: 'Eh bhupat sab divas chaar ke juthe karat divaja' [GGS 856:9] - 'All these lords of the world last for only a few days, putting on their false display!' I also remember reading that the whole lot stood up when Sant jiâ??s elephant carrying Guru Granth Sahib passed the stand. The choice is always ours to make!
2: Sukhjinder Singh (New York, U.S.A.), May 02, 2010, 9:15 AM.
I am highly enthralled reading the magnificent journey of the saroops of the Holiest of the Holy Sahib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, very well organized by the Sangat under His divine orders. Thanks a million to Waheguru Ji and everyone who made efforts to organize this splendid event a historic success! May He bless all! Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhaaney Sarbat Da Bhalla!
3: Ravi Inder Singh (Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.), May 02, 2010, 5:04 PM.
Even though everything sounds so regal and beautiful, we are making the Guru Granth and our great Gurus' bani so out of reach for everybody who wants to get close to Sikhi and learn about what the most amazing teachings of our most beloved Gurus are. I wish we would put all this money, energy and focus in strengthening our Sikh youth. I truly wish we would get away from such idol worship and truly follow the WORD. I don't think our Beloved Gurus will be happy with us. Today, nobody wants to talk about or seems worried about the alochol illness, drugs, cutting of hair and beards, disappearance of beautiful turbans ... Nobody talks about learning 'THE WORD' and living a good life. What are we doing? I guess idol worship is deeply imprinted on the human soul and many keep on sliding down towards it. Let's please wake up and truly understand what our Great Wonderful Gurus wanted us to learn. I hope we see the light soon and change our priorities!
4: Gurjeet (Brisbane, Australia), May 03, 2010, 1:04 AM.
It is nice to see all these feelings in the community towards the Guru. The real essence of the Guru's Word is to understand the gurbani and apply it in our lives. There are hardly any efforts done on those lines. The gurdwaras are "puckah" but the Sikhs are "kaccha". I pray to God to save the present day Sikhs by imparting His message of universal will to the Sikhs.
5: Kulbir Singh (Sydney, Australia), May 03, 2010, 6:24 AM.
When more and more Sikh homes will have parkash of Guru Granth, more youth will have easy access to gurbani. Youth will then quickly have gurcharni and start sehaj paatth. The next step for the youth will be to understand gurbani. This is a great seva. Giving due respect to our Guru ji is not idol worship. If this is idol worship, then the youth will not or should not respect their parents. What do we want to teach our kids? Disrespect to elders? Our Guru is our pitaa and Maata. Please look into the positive aspect of this event. Also, this way, we are also telling other communities the difference between any other holy book and our Guru. Thank you, Manpreet Kaur ji, for relating this heavenly experience. Well said by S. Sangat Singh ji: 'Eh bhupat sab divas chaar ke juthe karat divaja'. Our Guru Granth is "Rajan ke Raja, Maharajan ke Maharaja!"
6: Paramjot Singh (Ludhiana, Punjab), May 03, 2010, 11:40 AM.
I don't know, but reading this article, there are tears in my eyes and some kind of pride in my heart. But I want to share two lines with you all from the Gurbani: "Hamri karo haath de rachhaa/ Pooran hoe chit ki ichhaa/ Tav charnan man rahai hamaaraa/ Apnaa jaan karo pritparaa." The whole incident as stated was possible due to Almighty's blessings and so true, it was his divine powers that make such wonders possible in this world. And He is the one who makes possible our pure intentions. The more I listen to these type of incidents, the more faith I get in Waheguru. And bravo to all those people who made this possible.
7: Harmeet (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.i), May 03, 2010, 1:55 PM.
I would agree with 3) & 4) above. Get away from idol worship and focus on understanding what was taught by our Gurus/ Teachers.
8: Jatinder Singh Rana (Perth, Australia), May 03, 2010, 9:59 PM.
While reading the article, I was not able to stop my tears. It happened due to Faith and Love toward our Guru. I really appreciate and am thankful to all the Sikh sangat whose efforts have made successful this holy Journey. Waheguru bless all of you.
9: Tajinder Pal Singh (India/ Australia), May 03, 2010, 10:49 PM.
GuruFateh ji ... Re comments 3 and 4: what has been said is not wrong as a caution for all of us. At the same time, the Maryada of carrying Guru Granth Sahib is a way of Sikh's life and does not amount to idol worship.
10: Gurbaksh Kaur (New Zealand), May 03, 2010, 11:52 PM.
To Ravi Inder Singh, Gurjeet and Harmeet: In New Zealand, we are not perfect but efforts are made on a daily basis to respect the Guru Granth Sahib, parents are encouraged to bring their children to Punjabi language, gurmat, kirtan and tabla classes held every week by our gurdwaras. We have a number of Sikh websites run voluntarily by the sangat to promote greater understanding between cultures in NZ. We go into communities in as many ways as possible to promote the Sikh religion, increase understanding and acceptance. So that our children do not feel that when they wear their dastar or express their religion and culture, that they are out of place. E.g., at the Nagar Kirtan - which again may be seen as 'pomp and ceremony' - when we walk amongst the sangat, the men , women and children are proud of who they are. If our children are attending these events, including being at the airport, then following saroops to the gurdwara, listening to the story of the journey, this can only be a good thing. When our children understand who they are and be prepared to stand up and be proud and not be ashamed of saying "I am a Sikh" is when drugs, alcohol and cutting their hair will become less attractive. I agree that a lot more can be done about the drugs and alcohol but no amount of preaching alone will prevent their abuse. However our actions often speak louder than our words. We are proud of the fact we have Sikhs in NZ who have been here for 5-6 generations, who still speak Punjabi, who attend gurdwaras and their children are amritdharis. We are proud that so many of the newer Sikhs who hardly ever attended gurdwaras back in India are at the Sunday divans, we are proud when we look around on new year's eve and see the gurdwaras packed with sangats listening to kirtan and bring in the new year thus, instead of partying somewhere.
11: Surender Singh Kandhari (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), May 04, 2010, 6:05 AM.
It is very heartening to note that everybody concerned, whether it be the people or the governmental authorities, have given the utmost respect to the living Guru of our time, Siri Guru Granth Sahib ji. We congratulate the Uppal Family for all their efforts and dedication in supporting the Sikh practices and distributing free of cost the Holy Book to the people in Australia and New Zealand.
12: R..Singh (New Zealand), May 04, 2010, 4:13 PM.
Video of the arrival at Auckland Airport can be viewed online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bo96wKWfxY
13: Teena (Australia), May 05, 2010, 8:00 AM.
It's amazing but true that barriers are all man-made and all in the human mind. When we attempt to do something with the blessings of Waheguru, all worldly barriers are removed by this Supreme Power. We just need to seek His blessing before we take up what appears to be a challenge.
14: Suprit Pal Singh (Melbourne, Australia), May 05, 2010, 9:35 AM.
The Chardi Kala spirit of the event, the glory of the Guru, and the ambrosial nectar of the naam bani blesses the Kiwi sangat for taking this initiative. Thanks, Manpreet sister, for putting up this great event for all Sikhs to be able to share. It reminds me of and brings a picture of the jathas of Sikhs going to Goindwal in 1559 as a sangat, reciting gurbani and traveling together from far and wide, as I heard in the saakhis from my grandfather. As many of our elders have told us, everything done in sangat reaps multiple benefits. Doing it as an individual is different, but to do it as a sangat brings the real ecstasy of the soul.
15: Balbir Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), May 05, 2010, 2:00 PM.
I am proud of being a Sikh of such a great Guru. We always say that we don't have a leader. In fact, Guru Granth Sahib is our leader and It is spreading the Word of Waheguru in the whole world. I congratulate the Uppal family for their efforts. Thank you all.
16: RajVinder Singh Gill (Gravesend, United Kingdom), May 05, 2010, 2:34 PM.
As I read the emotive description, I also had tears in my eyes and the music of "Waho waho bani nirankar hai" in my mind. We across the world owe a debt to the sevadaars for their sewa and to the generosity of all those who facilitated this public event. As others have said, we need our lives to become the "bani in motion and our deeds to be the examples of a Sikh life". This does mean we ought to be spending time not only in simran but also in discourse within ourselves as well as with other communities. I was struck by how much the sangat of New Zealand appears to be open to dialogue with other communities. Guru Granth Sahib's message is universal and we need to make it possible for others to share by sharing with others. That would truly be "vand chhakna".
17: Jatinder Pal Singh (India), May 06, 2010, 6:14 AM.
Wherever we go, Sikhs are bound to be leaders, in the way they respect God, and make every human feel the power of Waheguru. In India, visiting Hemkunt Sahib is like reaching close to Waheguru. Similarly, such efforts made by the Uppals have again made the world think that we should be proud to be Sikh. "Bole so nihal, Sat Sri Akal ... Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh" - these golden words can never be forgotten.
18: Sarbjit Singh (Singapore), May 06, 2010, 11:56 AM.
Wonderful to read this. Really it is. For some reason, it came to my mind in our own country, India, Sri Guru Granth Sahib saroops were being burnt and molested in 1984. How sad and heart-breaking it is for all Sikhs. Let's help bring those responsible for the 1984 Sikh killings to justice.
19: Reema Bala (Singapore), May 06, 2010, 9:53 PM.
I am proud too, to a Sikh. I always believe that our Guru is always with us and shows us the way of life throughout. I really feel gratitude to all the sevadaars for this wonderful deed. May Waheguru bless them.
20: Gurcharanjit Singh Hundal (Singapore), May 06, 2010, 11:15 PM.
It is a fact that Guru Ji himself can make anything happen and we are merely his his sevadaars. I commend your devotion and achievement, my fellow brothers and sisters in New Zealand!
21: Balbir Singh Padda (Singapore), May 07, 2010, 3:40 AM.
Wow, it's just wonderful reading this article, with tears flowing from my eyes.
22: Harvindar Kaur (Singapore), May 07, 2010, 9:26 AM.
The first thing that came to my mind immediately is "Raaj karega Khalsa aakhi rahey na koye." I am so touched and thank you so much to our living Guru ji for blessing us to watch this in today's world to arrange for such seva - it's a miracle indeed. I'm sure this will touch lots of Sikhs watching this and help them come back to our the Guru's path. Remember the sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh's children ... today we can tell our Tenth Pita ji that we are proud to be his children. God Bless the land of Australia and New Zealand for their authorities and their kind co-operation in making this possible. As for comment # 18, in getting justice for what happened in 1984, I feel that whatever happened, let's strategize to ensure that we do not let it happen again. Let's live in peace and harmony in our multi-racial world. Please, no more war. Give unconditional love to all as God lives in everyone despite of religion. To forgive is divine. Always remember - Ik Oankaar, God is One ...
23: Pardeep Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), May 07, 2010, 4:21 PM.
While I am sure it was a great ceremony, what we are truly doing is setting a very bad precedent. I am reminded of such an event here in Toronto, and have read many accounts of other such events elsewhere, including England, when a new gurdwara was being inaugurated. The danger is that in trying to justify giving respect to the Guru Granth Sahib, we are missing the whole point of respect. The respect that the Guru Granth Sahib asks and requires of us is to bring to life the bani and the words in it and live them in our daily lives. I am reminded of the line from Guru Nanak himself: "Truth is high, higher still is Truthful Living." So, for us, it is not merely about seeking truth, it's about truthful living. I continue to see the community more concerned about whether the lights are kept on in the Abode of the Guru Granth Sahib, are the sheets covering it, etc. I have seen some putting air conditioners in such rooms while others use heaters. It is obvious to not only where all this is leading to, but what we have already created and have come to expect as standard 'respect'. So, please remember, the greatest respect we can give to the Guru Granth Sahib is to live it, and the rest of the formalities of the Guru Granth Sahib parkash will duly be met with integrity.
24: Khushmeet (Auckland, New Zealand), May 07, 2010, 7:35 PM.
I was present at the Auckland airport when the saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib arrived at the airport and, honestly, I was in tears of joy. That was a once in a lifetime experience: the sangat was singing the 'Waheguru jaap'. The staff at the airport was awesome and helped the passengers and the sangat to run everything smoothly. The amazing thing was when we were coming back home, there was humility in the faces of the staff and when I thanked them, I even saw a few wet eyes amongst them. This was an overwhelming event for them as well. I am very grateful that Waheguru gave me the chance to be there that day.
25: Amarjit Singh Gona (New Delhi, India), May 08, 2010, 9:29 AM.
Humility, devotion and satisfaction are lively principles of Sikhism seen and witnessed here. May God bless all those who conceptualized and implemented these basic principles thus.
26: Amardeep Singh (Melbourne, Australia), May 09, 2010, 8:20 PM.
Amazing, absolutely mind-blowing. Makes me so proud to be a Sikh.
27: Inderjit Kaur (Melbourne, Australia), May 10, 2010, 9:56 PM.
Manpreet Kaur Singh, you have put it so beautifully in words that touches the souls of one and all. Thanks for this. I have no words to express my gratitude. You have mentioned the name of S. Jatinder Singh Uppal of Melbourne. How can I get in contact with him?
28: Daljeet (Adelaide, Australia), May 13, 2010, 10:21 PM.
Manpreet: You are doing selfless seva by spreading the words which are so inspiring. And Sardar J.S. Uppal, he is doing true seva for the Sikh panth. It makes me proud as a Sikh.
29: Daljit Singh (Auckland, New Zealand), May 13, 2010, 10:36 PM.
First, I would like to thank Waheguru who blessed us with this seva. We worked for almost four months with the authorities at the Auckland Airport, Air NZ Staff and also the Melbourne Airport. I believe I may not see such an event again in my life. Our priority was the maryada re all of the jatha, all the way from Bhai Jatinder Singh Uppal ji's house to Takanini Gurdwara Sahib. We had two persons focusing on all the immigration, customs, etc. formalities. I also wish to thank Manpreet Kaur for this wonderful article. The complete video can be seen on YouTube.
30: Pukhraj Singh (Totonto, Ontario, Canada), May 13, 2010, 10:44 PM.
I am proud to be a Sikh and proud to say that I am a Singh, NOT 'Uppal', 'Arora', Gill, 'Batra', Grewal, 'Chawla', 'Kandhari' - whatever!
31: Harbhajan Singh (New Delhi, India), May 17, 2010, 12:55 AM.
The description of the whole scene is just like a video and it deserves all appreciation and praise for the author. Sardar J.S. Uppal is doing a wonderful seva through this project for education through their organization, SHS. It would be more appropriate if a new project of teaching the Gurmukhi script and Punjabi language to the children and general Sadh Sangat abroad is started so that they can avail themselves of doing paatth of Guru Granth whose saroops are being established in different gurdwaras and homes at various centres. This can be made possible by creating funds by avoiding the lavish and useless spendings on showy celebrations in homes and religious places from time to time.
32: Gurbux Singh (Chatsworth, California, U..S.A.), May 17, 2010, 3:33 PM.
I am a little bothered as I was always told that we do not worship or bow our heads to anyone or anything but Waheguru. I was also taught that we bow our heads to the Guru Granth Sahib which contains the bani of our Gurus. It is the bani we pay our respects to and not the book itself. It becomes holy only when the gurbani is in it. I am seeing more and more where we treat it like an idol. I feel this is incorrect and this is not what Guru Gobind Singh Ji wanted us to do. His message was that Guru Granth Sahib will be our only Guru and we should only follow it and no other. I am an ignoramus and try to follow the Sikh way of life which is very simple and makes sense. Just wanted to give my two cents worth.
33: Devpal Singh Bhatia (Sydney, Australia), June 08, 2010, 1:34 AM.
I don't know where to start from after reading everyone's comments. I can see true love and devotion of Sikhs from both countries. I never seen or heard such an outstanding welcome of Guru Sahib. I know what Sardar Uppal and his family from Melbourne are doing is a mark of respect for all of us and it also makes us all proud to see that we still have our proud roots. I really want to do something for our community and want everyone to think of something which could change the life of our coming generations. I want them all to believe in Waheguru and remember his Naam all the time. I wish I could give everything I have for the well being of our culture. I know I am getting a bit emotional here but after reading what Sikhs in New Zealand did, it is in respect for them. Please keep up this good work, sangat ji.