Unlikely Adventures! – The Shergill Sisters guide to India

Day One: Arrival in Delhi
Be patient. India is not going to be like London. The pollution and the
bustling crowds will overwhelm you immediately. You girls always joked
that I talked too loudly, and I turned everything into chaos. When you
enter India, I want you to think about how it felt to leave this place and
go somewhere as orderly as Britain, with ruler-straight rows of houses and
trains that run on time. I also want you to understand how hard it was
for me, adjusting to all of that quiet.

Day Two: Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
If the doctors had let me travel to just one place, it would be to this holy
shrine to honour the memory of our eighth Guru, Guru Harkrishan. He was
invited to stay here as a guest when it was the magnificent bungalow of a
Rajput prince. During our Guru’s time here, an epidemic of smallpox and
cholera swept over Delhi. Instead of resting in the comfort and safety of the
bungalow, he went out to bring food and medicine to the suffering.
You will spend the morning serving others by working in the Gurdwara
Bangla Sahib kitchen. Think about what this place once was and what
it continues to represent – a home and a place of healing. It’s a symbol
of selflessness, sacrifice and service. If only I could get there, I know I’d
be better.

Day Three: Sunrise at India Gate
By this time, you girls are probably annoyed with me for making you get up
early each day but a sunrise is something that you shouldn’t take for granted.
India Gate is the best place to view the sunrise in Delhi. Just once, for me,
stand still and watch a new day beginning. Think of all the new days you
have left, and reflect on how you will choose to spend them.

Day Four: Delhi to Amritsar
This journey will take you from India’s capital city to Punjab, our ancestral
state. Look out the windows and take in the landscape. Listen to the conversations
around you. Watch people rejoicing as they rush to meet their relatives
on the platforms of those smaller stops along the way. There’s no greater show
of love and faith than travelling a long distance for somebody.

Day Five: The Golden Temple, Amritsar
At this stage of the journey, I trust that the three of you are feeling closer
and more connected to each other. Visiting the Golden Temple is about
recognizing the oneness of humanity. You should enter the temple’s grounds
with an open heart, and think about leaving the past behind. You must also
take a bath in the sarovar to cleanse yourself of all burdens. As you do this,
remember that purification is not just about water washing away grit. It is
also about your thoughts and actions becoming simpler and more purposeful.

Day Six: Amritsar, Punjab
Awakening the Guru
Before the sun comes up today, you should be at the temple to witness an
important ceremony. The Guru Granth Sahib, our Holy Book, is also
considered the eleventh and fi nal guru in Sikhism. Every morning, it is
awakened and transported to the temple, where volunteers have already
cleaned every inch of the shrine and washed the floor with milk. Watch this
ceremony and recite the Lord’s name along with your fellow Sikhs here and
everywhere else in the world. Afterwards, please do some seva in the kitchen
to prepare food for all the people at the temple who have woken up early
with you to participate in our Guru’s awakening.

Day Seven: Trek to Hemkund Sahib
This will be the most difficult and rewarding part of your journey. I never
had a chance to trek to Hemkund Sahib when I was healthy, and it was
the first place that came to mind when the doctors told me that I
was terminally ill.

The temple at the top of the mountain is the most elevated Sikh gurdwara
in the world. People who have been there have described it as a trek to heaven.
Walk steadily, and meditate on the knowledge that your ability to move, climb
and connect with nature, are all temporary. What’s left, as your body and
mind slow down, is your spirit. You will feel an appreciation for your body,
for each other’s support as you undertake this physical and mental challenge.
Hemkund Sahib sits near the calm and sacred waters of Lokpal Lake.
Encircled by seven snow-clad peaks, this glacial lake is where our tenth guru
meditated and achieved spiritual unification. This is the place where my
journey will end. I would like my ashes to be scattered in this lake so that I
can rest in the same place where our guru became one with God.

Read more about The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal: https://harpercollins.co.in/book/the-unlikely-adventures-of-the-shergill-sisters/