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Moseley Chimes
February 2008
Travel has always meant more to me than just getting from one place to another. When I am travelling, I can no longer take for granted the comforts and security (no matter how mistakenly) which surround me in my every-day life. The truth is that there are no certainties in everyday life either, but I become acutely aware of this reality when I am travelling. As I feel vulnerable. I throw myself at God’s mercy. I experienced this as never before during my last trip to India.
For years my sister Kamal and I had wished to travel to Amritsar in the Punjab and to the beautiful vale of Kashmir, but political instability had put us off. However, at the beginning of 2008, there were reports that Kashmir was relatively calm and Indian tourists at least had started revisiting the area. Kamal and I therefore planned our visit for the end of September, before the onset of winter. Sadly, Kashmir had once again become unsettled and just days before our trip, there was a bomb explosion in Delhi. Against the advice of concerned family and friends we decided to go ahead as planned, promising to be careful and to ‘play it by ear’.
A two night train journey from the western city of Pune brought us to Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple, sacred to the Sikhs. The Golden Temple was as beautiful as it looks in pictures, but what moved us most was the atmosphere of devotion as we inched our way with hundreds of others towards the main shrine, accompanied by the background chanting of `kirtans’ (religious hymns) All pilgrims and visitors were invited to partake of a meal, free of charge, and we too joined the endless shift sittings of diners, experiencing Sikh hospitality. Nearby, was Jallianwala Bagh, the site of the massacre of about two hundred peaceful demonstrators by British troops in 1919. Today there is a beautiful memorial garden where one can reflect and pray for peace.
Our next destination Srinagar in Kashmir, involved a solid eleven-hour bus journey from Jammu, (there are no trains) through rugged mountain terrain There were high cliffs on one side, a deep chasm on the other, a strip of tarmac in the middle for which traffic in both directions vied with each other. To add to the confusion, semi-nomadic tribes were leading their herds of sheep, goats, asses and ponies down to the plains before winter set in.
Few journeys have been more hair-raising and rarely have I prayed more fervently! We enjoyed the beauty of Srinagar for just one day before being caught up in a two day curfew. Strangely, this brought unexpected gains. We got some much needed rest, and confined to the guesthouse, had the opportunity of talking to our host and gaining a better understanding of the complexities involved in the unrest. Also hitherto, Kamal and I had prayed individually but hereafter we held joint devotions which proved to be a time of special blessing and sustained us through the rest of our journey.
Our itinerary included visits to the hill-stations of Dharamsala (headquarters of the Dalai Lama in exile), Manali and Simla, (onetime summer capital of the British Empire). More adventures were in store for us; like the breaking down of a bridge, engine failure and missing our bus on an overnight journey. But through all this, we felt God’s caring arm around us. We appreciated the stunning scenery, kept well and returned home to our family safe and sound after our seventeen day adventure, ‘rejoicing and praising God’.