A report and some reflections on my visit to Amritsar, 26-27 April 2015
11 May 2015: I was asked by the Belgian embassy to talk on a seminar, jointly organized with the USI of India taking place on Friday 24th April in New Delhi. That same evening, during a cultural event in the garden of the residence of the Belgian Ambassador, a panel exhibition was unveiled which is bound to travel to some selected institutions in India. On Saturday April 26th I was invited to lunch with the Belgian ambassador and dinner with my friend, the historian S Rana S. Chhina.
Despite the fact I had only four full days in India at my disposal, I chose to spend Sunday and Monday April 26th and 27th in Amritsar. Ever since I started working in 1999 with European Sikh communities and on the initiative of my good friend Sardar Bhupinder Singh Holland on the history of the Indian Army Corps in the First World War, it had been a wish to visit the Holy City of the Sikhs with the Golden Temple at its centre. For many years now, I have been cherishing a model of Siri Harmandir Sahib in my office and it was about time to experience the real thing. Moreover, it was my conviction that by witnessing the Golden Temple and the devotion of Sikhs in that special place, would help me to understand Sikhism with its openness, its tolerance and its dedication to fight for justice and the good of Mankind.
I arrived somewhat belated at Amritsar airport in the afternoon of Sunday 26 April. I was heartily welcomed with flowers by S. Sarabjit Singh Gumtala, his son and S. Gurmeet Singh Luthra. They made me feel very welcome and accompanied me to my hotel and afterwards Sarabjit and his son accompanied me to the Wagah Border Ceremony in Atari. Again I was in for a special treat as Sarabjit had arranged VIP-seats as close to the border and to the "action" as possible. I had heard a lot about this curious daily event and was thrilled to be able to witness it. It was fascinating to see how the ceremony developed and at the same time there was also a certain sad feeling when knowing that for ages and this until the middle of the 20th century had belonged to the same country and that nowadays due to geopolitical evolutions, the populace of one side of Punjab is no longer able to travel freely to the other side of Punjab. Anyway I am glad I was able to attend. After some rest in the hotel, I was picked up by Sarabjit to join his son and Gurmeet in the Amritsar Club for drinks and snacks. Upon my return to the hotel, I witnessed a Hindu wedding party arriving at a nearby hotel which to me was again quite a sight.
Monday 27 April was in more than one sense the culminating point of my trip. After a brief welcome by the spokesman of SGPC I visited the Golden Temple, leaving an impression never to forget, I joined the hundreds of pilgrims paying homage to Guru Granth Sahib Ji and took a sip from the Holy water in the Pool of Nectar, after which I was received and honoured with 'siropao' by S Balwinder Singh Jaurasingha, Additional Secretary of SGPC, and was given a wonderful photograph of Siri Harmandir Sahib and a set of books on Sikhism and Sikh History. After this most impressive visit, I was able to visit Jallianwala Bagh, the site of the 13 April 1919 massacre which to me as a historian of Indians in the First World War has particular significance. Always accompanied by Sarabjit, I now went to Khalsa College, one of the most impressive Colleges I've ever visited, a true landmark. I was welcomed by Khalsa College principal S. Dr. Mehal Singh, and Governing Council (KCGC) honorary secretary S. Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina and we were joined by Sikh scholar S. Dr. Davinder Singh Chhina. I was shown around the Sikh History Research Department which has an extensive library and an interesting museum. Finally we headed to the College of Education where principal S. Dr. Jaswinder Singh Dhillon welcomed me and accompanied me to the lecturing room. During more than half an hour I was able to address a large audience of upcoming teachers on the role of Sikh soldiers in the First World War. At the closure of the lecture, I was again honoured, given a nice shawl, a photograph of Khalsa College, some books and a diploma of appreciation. The event was reported in the media, including The Tribune, and I was particularly happy they quoted me saying "Our common history is an opportunity for us to meet, experience each others culture, heritage and build beautiful friendships." For indeed if it wasn't for meeting my friend S Bhupinder Singh Holland in 1999 I would never have studied this field so extensively nor would ever have been able to visit Punjab. I am most indebted to him to have facilitated my visit and to S. Sarabjit Singh Gumtala who was so kind to take care of me during my entire stay in Amritsar.
My stay in India ended in the afternoon of 27 April when Sarabjit bade me farewell in Amritsar airport. I was tired for sure, but I also felt very satisfied. My visit had a sense, a direct purpose which had been entirely fulfilled. I had been to the heart of Sikhism, met wonderful people there and I had been able to contribute there to a better understanding of the role of the Sikhs in the First World War.
Dominiek Dendooven
Scientific Research Assistant - Inflanders Field Museum, Ieper - Belgium.
| Lecture of Mr. Dominiek Dendooven at Khalsa College of Education, Amritsar on 27-04-2015. |
|
|
| Published on May 7, 2015 Dominiek Dendooven was born in Bruges, Belgium, in 1971, and lives with his wife and four children in Ieper (Ypres). He completed an MA in History (1994) and a Master-after-Master in Archival Science (1995) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels Free University). Having worked as a journalist (1991–93) and for a press agency (1995–97) in Brussels, Dominiek Dendooven joined the staff of In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres at the end of 1997. Currently he holds the post of researcher/ assistant curator, and as such he has worked on the exhibitions ‘Strangers in a Strange Land. Belgian Refugees in World War 1’ (2004) and ‘The Last Witness. The Landscape of the Ypres Salient’ (2006), and coordinated the exhibitions ‘Man-Culture-War. Multicultural Aspects of World War 1’ (2008) and ‘Toiling for War. Chinese Labourers in World War 1’ (2010). Apart from numerous publications in Dutch, his publications in English are (with Jan Dewilde) The Reconstruction of Ieper (2000), Menin Gate & Last Post. Ypres as Holy Ground (2001), and (with Piet Chielens) World War 1. Five Continents in Flanders (2008). Together with the European Sikh Community and the City of Ieper, Mr. Dominiek Dendooven has opened the welcome door for the Sikhs since 1998 and since then the Sikhs are participating on Armistice day on the 11th of November every year in Ieper. There are 2 Sikh monuments in Belgium. |
-----------------------------------------------------
Related Article:
Belgian Scholar Delivers Historic Note on Sikh Soldiers' Role in World Wars