Endless Echoes
I’ve often wondered, is anything in the world we know actually real, or dare I say it, eternal? Having been born and brought up in a Sikh family, the concept of nothing is ours, and one day even we will eventually leave this earth, was common knowledge to an extent. But what did this mean?
Growing up and still now, playing the Tabla is a huge hobby of mine. This is what really drew me to going to the Gurdwara and sitting in the Darbar hall from a young age. But it wasn’t until I was around 16 that I started thinking, ‘there must be more to Sikhi’. I spent a big chunk of my summer holidays that year in Kenya with my family. I used to dwell about this feeling of the unknown, the mystery of this supreme eternal being and I didn’t know where, or if there was an answer to be found. Whilst there, we had a family Akhand Paath (constant reciting of Guru Granth Sahib Ji) at Makindu Gurdwara. I was sharing a room with my cousin and it became apparent me and him had similar curiosities about Sikhi, life and the world we live in. We spoke in depth about the likes of Bhai Bachitar Singh Ji, who, only small in stature, single handedly took down a raging elephant with a striking blow to its head. Hearing stories like this and others, gave me a feeling of unbelievable pride and joy that this was our history. But I kept coming back to the same question. What made these people so different? How could they be like this? What made them different from me?
Image by Jordi Vilardell. Vibia Puck Wall Art Wall Light.
The more we spoke about these stories, the more I felt like there had to be an answer. There was a sense of a unifying connection between these great figures in Sikh history to the ultimate Truth and Creator. I remember the day we reached the Gurdwara, my cousin and I sat on a bench next to one of the Granthi (readers of Gurbani from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) and we asked him why he decided to come all the way to Kenya, and whether he liked it here. He looked at us, smiled and said ‘I’m just a mere servant of the Guru. He brought me here to serve the Sangat (congregation).’ That really hit hard. I wasn’t expecting him to say that. Even that made me feel like I was getting closer to some kind of answer. Was there something blindingly obvious that I was missing? The following morning, we woke up at Amrit Vela (early hours) and headed to the Darbar Hall for Nitnem (morning prayers). We were greeted by the same Granthi, and he asked me if I wanted to have the Seva of taking Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Sachkhand to the Darbar. My silence was heard loudly, but he said to me ‘don’t let such opportunities slip away. This is Seva of our Guru’. I accepted this offer and it was a beautiful moment that I won’t forget. On the final day of the Akhand Paath, the Granthi was speaking to the Sangat in the Darbar hall. His message was clear. Guru Granth Sahib Ji is everything for a Sikh. Without Guru Granth Sahib Ji, there is no spiritual path for a Sikh. When I reflected on this and the stories my cousin and I would talk about, it was obvious. The power, and message of the true Guru was the one underlying factor to all these stories. Things began to make some sense. The teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the spiritual journey is eternal. This message is real and regardless of what happens to us as an individual, the message will remain for generations to come.
This realisation was a huge step in my spiritual journey. Knowing that the teachings of the True Guru are timeless, pure and eternal, filled me with a quest to find out more about this path.