Gurupurab Celebrations

The announcement was being made in Gurdwara “We will celebrate Gurpurab on 15^th and the cutting of vegetables will start on 14^th. So all of you who want to be part of this, please get assembled at 11:30 hours.”

I wanted to come for cutting vegetables but I have my office as well. I thought it will go on for a few hours. So I will try and reach by 01:30, be there for around 1 hour and then leave.

When I reached Gurudwara at around 01:15, they were serving samosa and bread pakodas. What the hell, rather than cutting vegetables for tomorrow why they have started with refreshments. I asked an old man standing there, “kab shuru karenge?”

“Bus shuru ho raha hai, tussi vi lao”

“Main Samose di gal ni kar reha paaji, when will we start cutting vegetables?”

“Its already done Veerji. A lot more people arrived and the cutting was done in 30 minutes. Tussi aa hi gye ho te ae samosa lao.”

I thought I don’t deserve this. It is meant for those who have actually been here and cutting vegetables. However, since the person insisted I could not say no and took one samosa and bread pakora. Then there was an announcement that a few vegetables will have to be cut in the morning, just before preparing the langar. On enquiry I was told to be there at 6 AM.

I ensured that I will not miss this. I got ready and was there in Gurudwara at 6 AM sharp. expected competition like yesterday but to my surprise only 2-3 people were there. I thought it’s a good opportunity and found a place for myself and started cutting tomatoes. The old man whom I had met yesterday was cutting onions. Calmness on his face adorned with a smile was hypnotizing me. He looked at me and passed a smile to me as well. I also smiled back.

After about an hour I thought its enough. But a lot of work was left as very few people were there due to early winter morning. I could no longer bear the cold weather and that uncomfortable position. I told myself to take a break. I went back home for some rest. It was a long rest and clock was showing 11:30. O My God! How could I do this, everything must have been over by now and Langar will be about start. How can I do this?

I took my bike I quickly reached the Gurudwara. I got to the place where vegetables were being cut. Nobody was there except that old man. He was still cutting the vegetables. A few cucumbers were left I suppose its for the salad. They had kept it for the last so that the salad doesn’t look stale. He still had a smile on his face. I went over to him.

“Paaji Inne sukoon wich kive rehnde ho tussi?”

“Sab Rabb di mehr hai Puttar.”

“But don’t you think you have done enough? You were here yesterday as well. You have been sitting here since morning. Thakde ni tussi?”

“Puttar thakaan te sab nu hondi hai…Ae dekh hatheli naal nishaan pad gye ne. But how can I decide that I have done enough? Is da Faisla te Rabb karega na?? When He thinks that’s enough for me, He will make me do something else. For me I have to keep doing. I am not looking at how much is left. Because if I will, it might break my concentration.”

“Par twaadi v te to khwaaisha hongiya….jenha vaaste tussi sewa kar rhe si?“

He smiled a bit and then said “Zaroor hai. Main v to insaan hi hoon”

“Do you think you will get enough to compensate for whatever you are doing?”

“Hun assi kon honde ha compensation da hisaab rakhne waale puttarji? I might have already got and its just that I am paying now”

I was stunned and had a confused expression on my face

“I didn’t get you uncle.”

“See my child, we human beings have unnecessarily complicated the things. We have developed some concepts. Be it mathematics, economics, science etc etc. We human beings think we have gained a lot of knowledge. We then apply these concepts on what God is doing. But we fail to understand that these concepts don’t work with God. For God 2 and 2 might be 4 and it might be 22 as well. As human beings we think we must get 4 and God desires to give you 22. When we get more we don’t apply concepts but when we get less our mathematics start and we criticize God. Mind You if God has to give you let him decide.

God might give you first and then get the deeds done by you. God might give you more, get much more deeds done by you and then give you a little. When you get little you compare it with much more deed you have done and then again criticize God. It’s the calculation of God so let it be with God only. You keep doing the work that is assigned to you.

I keep smiling while doing the sewa because I think either I am paying back to the God for what I had got sometime back or I will get something in return in future. In both cases things are balanced. See I tried to explain it to you in your way.”

Our discussion got over. But I was confused more. The samosa I ate yesterday got compensated or something is still left or I have done more sewa than required to compensate for samosa which means it will get compensated sometime in future. Suddenly I realized uncle is right, why I should think about it.

I picked the knife, bowed towards the Guru Granth Sahib and started peeling the few cucumbers that were left.

~Sarabjeet Singh Dhingra~

Sarabjeet is an avid user of fountain pens. He loves driving, diving and dreaming. He can make most terrible jokes sound funny….and vice versa! Tallest among us in height, spirit and enthusiasm, he assures there is not single dull moment when we are around him. A child at heart, a seeker at soul and a believer at attaining goals, he can be found at sarabjeet.dhingra@gmail.com.

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