• Source:JND
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History is witness to the fact that since partition the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have gone through several ups and downs. The animosity between the South Asian nations in many ways caused by the state of politics across the border and left many detesting stories over the years but sometimes there are some incidents where a glimpse of peace and tranquillity can be seen between the two countries. Something similar happened with astrologer Pandit Girish Vyas who recently went from India to Pakistan for a short visit.  

Pandit Girish Vyas also wrote a travelogue in which he shared experiences of his trip to Pakistan. Vyas, a resident of Indore, visited Pakistan on September 19 and returned to India on October 9. He stayed in Pakistan for 16 days and closely explored the religious, social and economic conditions of the neighbouring country. He said he also closely observed the economic condition, worship practices and lifestyle of the Hindu community. Let's read in this article the condition of Pakistan and the experience of Pandit Girish Vyas’s journey through his own words which he described in his travelogue. 

We embarked on our journey from Indore to Pakistan on September 19, 2023, accompanied by Sai Kamal Puri Ji, who has his spiritual abode in both Indore and Jacobabad, Pakistan. Our journey began with the Indore-Amritsar Express, reaching Amritsar where we spent a day before proceeding to the Attari border. After a thorough luggage check, we took a bus to the Wagah border, where our belongings underwent another inspection at the Pakistan border. This was a standard protocol.

Upon entering Pakistan, we were warmly received by prominent rice mill businessmen Vasu Lal Ji, Tikam Ustad Arun Ji and Vikram Ji. As we progressed into Pakistan and arrived in Lahore, we were pleasantly surprised by the metro system there. The city’s maintenance and arrangements were impressive, dispelling many of the preconceived notions we had about Pakistan.

In Lahore, we visited Lalbagh, home to a well-maintained Gurudwara. We savoured the langar prasad there. The next morning, we explored Lalbagh and the Minar-e-Pakistan. Later that evening, we boarded a train from Lahore to Jacobabad at 4:30 PM.

The train experience in Pakistan differed significantly from that in India. Lahore station, still reminiscent of the British era, felt like stepping back in time. Upon reaching Jacobabad at 9 AM, we were greeted by Sai Gautam Giri Ji from Swami Krishna Giri Darbar and Sai Kamal Puri Ji with an old Shehnai. Around 300 to 400 people gave us a grand welcome.

 

After leaving the station, we arrived at Hindore Darbar for the consecration ceremony. It’s a local tradition to warmly welcome visitors and inquire about their well-being. This custom involves sharing detailed accounts of one’s journey, including meals and experiences, which typically take about 10 to 15 minutes.

We rested for a day before commencing worship the following day. The darbar hosted a grand court with 16 idols of deities including Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Hanuman Ji, Ram Darbar, Krishna Darbar, Nanak Dev Ji, Jhulelal Ji, Shiv Parivar and Shivalinga.

From September 24 to September 28, 2023, we consecrated these statues with 800 to 1000 people participating each day from 10 AM to 5 PM. The event was filled with enthusiasm and active participation. On September 29, 2023, a significant havan took place with Panch Kundiya Yagya performed for resolutions of various problems. Around 550 people made offerings during this ritual.

After this, I began to study the horoscopes of locals and From September 27 to October 9, 2023, I looked at the charts of about 1500 people. During this time, we also visited Jacobabad, had Sindhadi tea at the bypass, saw the statue of Lord Shiva in the crematorium and visited Shri Krishna Gaushala, where there were 450 native cows.

They also had old breeds of cows, including the Gol Singh cow, which is now endangered. They had 1.5 lakh square feet of space for grazing the cattle. They also had beautiful arrangements for their shelter, food, garden and visitors in about one lakh square feet.

On the day of Shradh, we did gau seva and fed fodder to holy cows. We also gave an interview to an international NGO on the importance of Shradh and respect for our elders. Moreover, on the occasion of Shradh, we gave a lecture on the Gita addressing about 400 to 500 people, who listened attentively for two hours and said that it was the first time they had attended such a long spiritual discourse.

The best thing was that we did not have to go anywhere there and people from the control room came to us for verification and exit. Our daily routine there involved waking up from 10 am to 3 pm and sometimes visiting six places to eat dry fruits and fruits. At the same time, during the last four days, we stayed awake from 8 am to 5 pm because crowds of devotees came from far and wide to know their horoscope.

Every country has its laws. Pakistan is an Islamic country and one has to follow its rules. You cannot apply a tilak there or display any temple openly. Hindus have to put a curtain after a gate for performing puja inside the temple. They do not object to that. You cannot display or wear anything related to the Hindu religion outside such as a flag, tilak on the face or dhoti among others. There are flags installed outside in old temples, but it is difficult to put them in normal temples. There people wear only Pathani dresses and women have to cover their faces.

Here the political parties support the Hindu community a lot. They believe that a Hindu always tells the truth. A major sect of the Muslim class oppresses Hindus in some capacity and they have to compromise somewhere or the other. The entire time we stayed there, we did not face any kind of problem. Many people came to meet us and the Muslim community also expressed their concerns. Noorwaha’s fritters and tea are quite famous here and the taste of Sindhadi tea is worth praising in the whole of Sindh.

Many Hindus from Pakistan have come to India and are trying to live a successful life. Even now, people are afraid of the inflation there, due to which they want to be in India. There is a lot of inflation there and a common person has to face a lot of problems to survive.

There are fewer hospitals and doctors in Pakistan. However, people always come forward to help each other. A person in his class helps people from his similar class a lot. One who is an expert in his field helps others as much as possible so that their class can progress. There is a lot of love among the people and mutual coordination is also very good, due to which people express their views easily. 

Pakistan faces comparatively more economic and political problems than India. I am stating this as I studied the magazines there. Everyone is more worried there about their well-being as the state doesn't provide much support. In such a situation, I diagnosed as many people as possible with the Krishnamurti method.

We got a lot of love and affection from people here. Because of this, we could live there without fear. We always received calls from government departments that if we need security, they can provide it to us. The government also helped us a lot and there was always someone around to monitor us, which we came to know on the last day. A good thing was also seen on our Indian border. Here Hindus coming from Pakistan were provided with a lot of help.

During the yatra, we gave information about Om to all the devotees sitting at the Havan and people were also taught how to chant the ‘Om’ sound. About 500 to 600 people gave their time in this ritual and practised chanting Om. During this time, many types of questions were also asked by the people regarding the origination of the word Om.

In this yatra, I got an opportunity to preach on Gita on October 5, 2023, in which 350 people participated. During this, we gave a thorough lecture about love, karma and religion through the verses of the Gita and presented love as a feeling giving examples of Bharat-Shri Ram and Gopi-Krishna as true love.