
By Jaswinder Singh Ahluwalia | Malaysia |
In 1983, I landed in Melbourne, Australia, on a chilly morning. It was a windy day and the sky was overcast. I took a cab from the airport to the University of Melbourne law students’ hostel in the busy Swanston Street.
At the hostel, I met the warden, a kind elderly white guy. He said he knew about Sikhs but had not seen one in Melbourne for decades. I learnt from him that, in 1983, there were very few Sikhs living in Melbourne.There were only a few scattered Sikh families then in that Aussie city.
After a short rest, I thought I will go out and look around. Out in the open outdoors, everything seemed grey dim and cold. I noticed there were no non-whites around. Coming from bright and sunny Malaysia, where we have Indians Chinese, Malays and also Europeans, it looked rather unwelcoming.
As I was walking along, a huge car pulled up alongside me on the busy road. The rear window glass rolled down and a Sardaar seated in the back seat called out to me. ‘Sat Sri Akal’. Now, that was sudden and a surprise.
After a short exchange, he invited me into the car. He introduced himself and said that he was going to the local Gurdwara. I felt safe and hopped in.
I learnt that he was from the Indian High Commission or Consulate. He had stopped when he saw a man in turban, a rare sight in Melbourne those days.
We drove to the Gurdwara where I met other Australian Sikhs including a few from Malaysia. It was as if some invisible hand was guiding me along. I began to feel more comfortable.
This fine gentleman Sardar and I became good friends and we spent a lot of time together after that. We would meet at the Gurdwara every Sunday morning and we kept in touch with each other for many years.
Seventeen year later in 2000, my eldest daughter, then just 20, wished Sat Sri Akal to a turbaned Sardar, a newly qualified ICAEW Chartered Accountant speaker from London whom she met at an accountancy examination refresher course in Singapore.
They became friends. He came to Malaysia to visit us. We found the Sardar to be a fine, smart, good looking, well spoken young man.
We, too, visited him while on holiday in UK and met with his family in London. It seemed to us as if we had met by some inexplicable guiding hand and we became close over time.
Two years later, my daughter married Sukhpreet and they settled in London. We have two lovely grandchildren, with the eldest now 17.
To me, my appearance as a Sikh and faith in the Guru and in the Sikh way, has given me subtle direction at important points when it mattered most and, of course, happiness. I cannot be anything other than thankful.
On this Gurpurab, I thank Waheguru Ji for his untold blessings. His blessings have come into my life quietly and unannounced.
Together with millions of fellow Sikhs all over the world I wish and pray for ‘Sarbat da Bhala’. May such blessings befall on everyone and all.
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