Two
DEPARTURE
The scheduled time for departure of the buses from Gurudwara Race Course was 5 AM on 5-7-2002. But a message was conveyed to all the passengers by the committee to bring their luggage for loading on the buses after 7 PM on 4-7-2002. This was necessary to avoid any delay in the departure in the morning.
By 7.30 PM on 4-7-2002, I was present near the buses with my luggage. I found no fellow passenger around. I went inside the Gurudwara to look for any fellow passenger sitting inside. There I found that two persons of our jatha were helping the halwai, who was preparing vegetables, prashad etc. to be carried along the next morning. Meanwhile, passengers continued to arrive one after the other. By 9 PM, a good number of them were in attendance.
Now, the manager of the tour appeared on the scene. He requested the passengers to come close to him. Then he told the gathering that all the passengers have already been allotted seats in seriatim in the seven buses, but identity of number is to be established through a lottery system. He held out seven folded slips, containing separate Registration Nos. of each bus and asked a small child standing nearby to pick up one slip. The child did so and that was marked as bus no - 1. Likewise all the seven buses were marked: The passengers were asked to get their belongings loaded on the particular bus number, which was allotted at the time of booking of the seat.
Ours was Bus no. 1, its registration number UP 06 5256. The exercise of loading was over by 9.30 PM. Some late comers were still trickling in, but I left the place for home for final thinking over and to take maximum possible rest were necessary.
At home, we were quite at ease due to prompt preparation. But there was a strong yearning to start the journey. Meanwhile, we received phone calls from my son Baljit, daughter-in-law Baljinder and daughter Dr. Devinder, mentioning prayers for our happy journey both the ways. We woke up a bit early the next morning. We got ready at the earliest and had tea with some bread. As is customary in every home to hand over some instructions to children at the time of departure, we too did so. Before leaving, we gave love to our small one-year old innocent grand daughter Arshpreet, who was still asleep and lying like a dot on the double bed.
Our son Charanjit accompanied us upto Gurudwara Race Course. We reached there by 5.20 AM. Some persons were still bringing their luggage for loading. This process caused an avoidable delay. The pantry items had almost been loaded. Big utensils meant for cooking en-route at the pre-decided resting places, were being placed in the dicky. Buses with complete loading were being covered with waterproof plastic sheets.
The presence of over two hundred yatris, getting ready to set out on a respectable yatra, was a unique congregation. The moment presented a scene meriting depiction. The buses finely painted in dark blue and off white colour, having the inscription "Garhwal MandaI Vikas Nigam" etc. with glaring rear view mirrors and just cleaned bodies, added to the grandeur of the pilgrims. In front of each bus a Nishan Sahib in deep yellow cloth, was securely tied as a mark of distinction for the yatra.
Children, ladies, youngsters and elders draped themselves in keeping with the occasion and none was found wearing a foppish dress. Shirts, bush shirts, T-shirts, pants, half pants, kurta-pajama and smart-simple dresses were in view. A good number of youngsters had cameras ready on their shoulders. Different colours of turbans, patkas and dupattas looked as a spectrum of shades. At times, boisterous laughter from children was audible; otherwise, small groups were talking in a normal manner. In such a group, a gentleman dressed in yellow T-shirt and half-pant was conspicuous due to broad deep green stripes on the dress. It was learnt that the gentleman regularly under takes pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib and that he will remain in that dress upto Gobind Ghat.
But on some faces, the yearning to be one of the yatris was discernible. Apart from the yatri buses, a good number of private cars and motorbikes were parked at the spot. Many family members had come to see off their dear ones who were proceeding to Sri Hemkund Sahib. This infused encouragement into the yatris and they themselves felt satisfied and pleased to be physically present at the auspicious occasion.
The buses were now ready to move. The jathedar came and asked the yatris to be present in the Gurudwara for ardas. The bhaiji did ardas for the yatris and prayed to Almighty for success of the yatra. After having parshad, every body got back to his bus.
It was 6.40 A.M. God's graced persons were at their seats. The sky was clear with dots of clouds far away. The morning was cool but breeze was absent. The bus doors were closed after receipt of a bagful of edibles in each bus. After confirming the presence of all the passengers in the respective buses, the drivers switched on their engines and the buses moved one after the other to the accompaniment of the waving little and big hands saying bye-bye. The watch hands were at quarter to 7 AM. There were loud Jaikaras : “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal”.
www.hemkundji.com
DEPARTURE
The scheduled time for departure of the buses from Gurudwara Race Course was 5 AM on 5-7-2002. But a message was conveyed to all the passengers by the committee to bring their luggage for loading on the buses after 7 PM on 4-7-2002. This was necessary to avoid any delay in the departure in the morning.
By 7.30 PM on 4-7-2002, I was present near the buses with my luggage. I found no fellow passenger around. I went inside the Gurudwara to look for any fellow passenger sitting inside. There I found that two persons of our jatha were helping the halwai, who was preparing vegetables, prashad etc. to be carried along the next morning. Meanwhile, passengers continued to arrive one after the other. By 9 PM, a good number of them were in attendance.
Now, the manager of the tour appeared on the scene. He requested the passengers to come close to him. Then he told the gathering that all the passengers have already been allotted seats in seriatim in the seven buses, but identity of number is to be established through a lottery system. He held out seven folded slips, containing separate Registration Nos. of each bus and asked a small child standing nearby to pick up one slip. The child did so and that was marked as bus no - 1. Likewise all the seven buses were marked: The passengers were asked to get their belongings loaded on the particular bus number, which was allotted at the time of booking of the seat.
Ours was Bus no. 1, its registration number UP 06 5256. The exercise of loading was over by 9.30 PM. Some late comers were still trickling in, but I left the place for home for final thinking over and to take maximum possible rest were necessary.
At home, we were quite at ease due to prompt preparation. But there was a strong yearning to start the journey. Meanwhile, we received phone calls from my son Baljit, daughter-in-law Baljinder and daughter Dr. Devinder, mentioning prayers for our happy journey both the ways. We woke up a bit early the next morning. We got ready at the earliest and had tea with some bread. As is customary in every home to hand over some instructions to children at the time of departure, we too did so. Before leaving, we gave love to our small one-year old innocent grand daughter Arshpreet, who was still asleep and lying like a dot on the double bed.
Our son Charanjit accompanied us upto Gurudwara Race Course. We reached there by 5.20 AM. Some persons were still bringing their luggage for loading. This process caused an avoidable delay. The pantry items had almost been loaded. Big utensils meant for cooking en-route at the pre-decided resting places, were being placed in the dicky. Buses with complete loading were being covered with waterproof plastic sheets.
The presence of over two hundred yatris, getting ready to set out on a respectable yatra, was a unique congregation. The moment presented a scene meriting depiction. The buses finely painted in dark blue and off white colour, having the inscription "Garhwal MandaI Vikas Nigam" etc. with glaring rear view mirrors and just cleaned bodies, added to the grandeur of the pilgrims. In front of each bus a Nishan Sahib in deep yellow cloth, was securely tied as a mark of distinction for the yatra.
Children, ladies, youngsters and elders draped themselves in keeping with the occasion and none was found wearing a foppish dress. Shirts, bush shirts, T-shirts, pants, half pants, kurta-pajama and smart-simple dresses were in view. A good number of youngsters had cameras ready on their shoulders. Different colours of turbans, patkas and dupattas looked as a spectrum of shades. At times, boisterous laughter from children was audible; otherwise, small groups were talking in a normal manner. In such a group, a gentleman dressed in yellow T-shirt and half-pant was conspicuous due to broad deep green stripes on the dress. It was learnt that the gentleman regularly under takes pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib and that he will remain in that dress upto Gobind Ghat.
But on some faces, the yearning to be one of the yatris was discernible. Apart from the yatri buses, a good number of private cars and motorbikes were parked at the spot. Many family members had come to see off their dear ones who were proceeding to Sri Hemkund Sahib. This infused encouragement into the yatris and they themselves felt satisfied and pleased to be physically present at the auspicious occasion.
The buses were now ready to move. The jathedar came and asked the yatris to be present in the Gurudwara for ardas. The bhaiji did ardas for the yatris and prayed to Almighty for success of the yatra. After having parshad, every body got back to his bus.
It was 6.40 A.M. God's graced persons were at their seats. The sky was clear with dots of clouds far away. The morning was cool but breeze was absent. The bus doors were closed after receipt of a bagful of edibles in each bus. After confirming the presence of all the passengers in the respective buses, the drivers switched on their engines and the buses moved one after the other to the accompaniment of the waving little and big hands saying bye-bye. The watch hands were at quarter to 7 AM. There were loud Jaikaras : “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal”.
www.hemkundji.com
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