Zwischen Löwen und Prinzessinnen

Narinderjit Singh is my host in Amritsar. He’s a 45 years old man, native from Peshewar, in Pakistan, and his religion is the sikhism. When India and Pakistan were broken in 1947 he and his family had to run away from his home town to Punjab. There, in the city of Amritsar, his parents bought a farm and were working growing the rice and breeding the animals. Now I’m staying at the same farm which was converted in a cosy hostel with 12 rooms and two swimming pools where everybody who knocks his door is welcomed. I asked Narinderjit why he’s hosting everybody without any charge and he answered he do it for two reasons. The first one is because he doesn’t mind it and hosting people doesn’t take any effort for him. The second one is because his religion. Sikh people think God visits them being a foreigner or a traveller. He do it just to prove their kindness and generosity. Then, for them to have guests at home is a blessing of God.

The sikhism was bornt in the XVI century in the Indian region of Punjab. Guru Nanak, his holy man, was a hindu but he had many influences from the Islam. For that reason, the wanted to combine the better part of both religions. Moreover sikh people, in their origins, were warriors and nowadays they still keep some of those warrior reminds in their five characteristic symbols: their never cut their hair neither their beard, they always carry a dagger, a comb and a bracelet and they wear a special underpants. All sikh men have the name of Singh which means lion and all women have the name of kaur which means princess.

To take for a walk in the city of Amritsar, spacially around the Golden Temple, the holiest place for them, is a beatiful spectacle and for sure it’s the only place in the world where you can experience the daily and colourful privilege of walking freely among lions and princesses.