Sikh guides helping Indian pilgrims at Kartarpur Sahib
AMRITSAR: The Pakistan government has preferred Sikhs as guides for helping Indian pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, through the newly opened corridor that connects Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the Sikh shrine across the border.
Through outsourcing, the government of the neighbouring country has hired a number of local youths for looking after various services at the corridor, such as transportation, security, cleaning, medical facilities, fire control, parking etc. However, the duty of helping and guiding the pilgrims has been given to four Sikhs, including two women, keeping in view their familiarity with Punjabi language, Sikh history and tenets.
These guides belong to the surrounding areas of Kartarpur, which is situated in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Gurmeet Singh and Kanwar Vikram Singh, both aged 25, belong to Purab village of Sialkot district, while 35-year-old Andleev Kaur is resident of Narowal town, 15 km from the last resting place of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak. Prabhleen Kaur, 28, hails from village Jaffarwal in Narowal district.
Inderjeet Singh, member of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), told HT over telephone that Andleev Kaur is a graduate, while the other three guides are intermediate. “They have been deployed at various key points in the complex of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to help the sangat coming from India,” he added.
Andleev told HT that she along with Gurmeet is deployed at ‘darshani deori’ (entrance to the sanctum sanctorum) to welcome the pilgrims and ask them if they need any kind of help. “We also make the pilgrims aware of the places to be visited in the shrine complex spread over 42 acres,” said Gurmeet.
Meanwhile , 547 pilgrims used the Kartarpur corridor on Sunday. It was second Sunday since the opening of the corridor. The number reflects slight improvement in the footfall.