“I may have very few means now, but I am at peace”

The first question a stranger asks of Manohar Singh when they discover that he is a practising Christian is about his appearance. An erstwhile cloth merchant, Manohar retains his Sikh turban and flowing beard. “When asked, I tell them that it’s part of my culture and upbringing. Even Christian prophets used to wear the turbans of their respective cultures,” he says. Coming from the merchant community of Lubanas, Manohar converted to Christianity after the death of his teenage daughter. He had already been undergoing stress on account of his son who had met with an accident. “Some pastors came to my rescue and gave me mental peace,” he says. “I started reading the Bible thereafter. Now, even though I have a smaller house, lesser resources and am perhaps a man of very few means, I am at peace.”