Transporting himself to the lotus feet of Guru Gobind Singh, executive coach and mentor Kamal Jit Singh Ahluwalia relives the moments when the Tenth Master prepares to leave the Anandpur Sahib Fort -lock, stock and barrel, knowing fully well that those who promised safe haven would resort to deceit and subterfuge. In this beautiful metaphor, the author traces moments of history which every Sikh, nay, every individual who wants to understand Guru Gobind Singh and his Sikhs must relive and ponder over.  The outpouring of his thoughts in this manner is an amazing journey that the readers must undertake, even if to understand what kind of indomitable spirit lives through the Khalsa farmers contesting for their rights in harsh weather conditions.

LET’S REVISIT THE SCENES WHICH ARE HAPPENING AT ANANDPUR SAHIB 316 YEARS AGO. NOW. The fateful night-dawn of tomorrow when Guru Gobind Singh, along with his family consisting of his aged mother, wife, four sons, along with the band of his warriors will need to depart from the land which his father had bought. Today night he would be homeless, rudderless – and his home would be the vast expanse of the sky.

Hostile weather, nail-biting cold, the weather turning bad to worse- rain accompanied by strong winds will be lashing in the early dawn, compounding the misery. Above all weary, famished Singh’s who haven’t had a proper, nutritive morsel for a long time, warriors whose arms and ammunitions are depleted to bare minimum levels. Horses that haven’t been fed properly for a long time is a new reality.

At this hour the Master is busy preparing for the final onslaught as he is certain that the enemy comprising of Mughal forces and Rajput Rajas are sure to break their vows of allowing a safe passage to him and his followers as committed by them. He is spot on to visualize that they are people sans integrity, consciousness, as they are driven by power hunger – come what may. For them, the ends justify the means.

The Master is exalting his band to be ready for the penultimate test, which is simply some hours away. The enemy is busy crafting dubious and manipulative steps on how to annihilate the Sikhs along with the Master and his family. They are certain once the Master and his band are in open; they have a striking advantage due to sheer numbers of their war force, coupled with a great reservoir of arms and ammunition. They know that the Guru’s army is malnourished, hence are weak physically, consequently easy to be wiped off. Right now everything appears to be in their favour and they stand on an advantage point. If this is so, this is the opportunity for them to make the Khalsa as history.

Master’s family must be busy in getting their essentials – coins, some gold, eatables, warm clothing, etc – packed such that they can have a reasonable stay wherever they are destined to be.

Folk’s recap- you are forced to leave your own place, discard your own comforts, belongings, forced to shed living in abundance. And now you are reduced to penury. It pains and pains hard. Coupled with this is the fear of annihilation, maybe a gory death awaiting.

Any normal person would be in jitters, hallucinate and give up.
· Why me can cross the mind of anyone?
· What did I do wrong? It’s simply easy for me to give up and get this over.
· Why am I sticking my neck out? The defeat looms large on the horizon.
· Is it really worth it for me?
· At this age, is it wise and rational to take this risk?
· When the majority have succumbed to the empire, why am I being defiant. Let me be one of those many?

And above all the number of horses is limited. Hence everything cannot be transported. I may have to leave my most admired possessions too, things, that I cared, valued and cherished most. It’s a difficult decision, it’s not ordinary. It’s something beyond.

We are going to win, create history and not be a part of history. The house of Nanak is clear- it’s now or never- we make things happen and not wait for things to happen.

There may be thoughts traversing the folks there. Yet the choice was made. The Master was clear- what needs to be done must be done. Nothing ever can stop one to achieve the unfathomable. I along with you all Sikhs, have been bestowed with this responsibility to rewrite history in the next 7 days. The odds are stacked unfavourably, yet we have the will, courage, determination, passion, and perseverance to make this unthinkable, un-perceived happen in the now.

We are going to win, create history and not be a part of history. The house of Nanak is clear- it’s now or never- we make things happen and not wait for things to happen.

Certain am I that at this hour teamwork would be happening, The Master would be engaged with his tested commanders in devising strategies to keep the power-intoxicated opposite camp soldiers at bay, using their meagre resources in an optimal manner, battle tactics being firmed up while visualizing what can possibly happen.

Lo and behold! He is not a general only, he is a poet, a wisdom being, and he directs his fellow beings to pack up all the wisdom books, literature which needs to be carried out as he believes that this rich heritage would be their guiding light.

Lo and behold! He is not a general only, he is a poet, a wisdom being, and he directs his fellow beings to pack up all the wisdom books, literature which needs to be carried out as he believes that this rich heritage would be their guiding light.

At 1430 now, they may be having their last meal now, and we can imagine what thoughts would be going through their minds. Not the best of the environs, in which they are having their stomach filled. And it’s rightly said when you are in a zone of cautiousness and tense, appetite evaporates.

I am having my lunch in a cosy environment, sans any tension, at a place which I believe is my own, where I have no fear of annihilation. I am secure and yet when the first morsel was being put in the mouth, my hand stopped because I got transported to the place and time where our Tenth Master is right now.

Kamal Jit Singh Ahluwalia, popularly known as K S Ahluwalia describes himself as a student of Sikhism, endeavouring to uncover, understand better the Sikh ethos. For the past two decades and more, he has been sharing insightful thoughts in print, personal interactions, workshops and talk shows on Sikh Inc. -management principles from the House of Nanak and life-transforming leadership skills.  He is a regular contributor to eminent journals and he has impacted the lives of thousands of youth with over 5.6 million man-hours across diversified audiences at more than a hundred plus global locations.