Sikh pilgrims pay obeisance at the renovated Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Pakistan, and on this side of the Radcliff line, some  make a beeline to the pseudo-centre in Sirsa.

Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims visited the recently renovated and enlarged precincts of Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, built to commemorate the Sacha Sauda -the real bargain of the First Master, Guru Nanak. The youth Nanak told to go to do a bargain with Rs. 20 by his father Mehta Kalu, simply spent the entire money feeding mendicants, sick and the poor, returning home and saying that he had the “real bargain.” In this way, he exemplified the doctrine of Vandh Chakko -sharing at the same time giving a spiritual twist to spending money for business.

The Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Pakistan renovated by the Evacuee Trust Property Board of Pakistan saw the pilgrims being afforded facilities of transport, accommodation and food. Situated nearly 40 kilometres from Lahore, in Chuhrkhana of Sheikhupura district, the maintenance, upkeep and renovation has been made possible by the efforts of the Pakistan government and contributions from Sikhs from across the world since the last nearly two decades.

Additional Secretary Shrines Tariq Khan Wazir, Deputy Secretary Imran Gondal and Sheikhpura Administrator Muhammad Ishaq personally supervised the hospitality arrangements, which were much appreciated by female pilgrims as well.

It is important to mention that this Gurdwara in Pakistan is the real Sacha Sauda centre and not the pseudo-centre which has again re-opened after a brief gap in Sirsa by the family and followers of the pseud-saint rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim, now behind bars for 20 years.

It is time that someone from the Sikh community challenges the pseudo-centre from misusing the nomenclature Sacha Sauda, just as the Sikhs were up in arms against the use of his attire mimicking the Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh.