Swaran Singh Bhang 
Ahmed Raza Punjabi, President of Punjabi Prachar Sanstha Lahore, Nasir Dhillon, President of Punjabi Lehar Sanstha and their colleagues at ‘Punjabi Institute of Language, Art and Culture, Lahore’ on 18, 19 and 20 November 2024 at ‘Punjabi Institute of Language, Art and Culture, Lahore’, Lahore (Pakistan) World Punjabi Conference’ was held. For this reason, thanks to the visas, I was also in the delegation that went from Punjab. I wanted to see that land for a long time. My life partner, Punjabi film-world actress Gurpreet Kaur Bhangu and Malkit Singh Rooni were specially invited to attend this conference. I was like iron with wood.
On the last day of the Punjabi conference, I was enjoying the program sitting on the upper chairs. When the next chair became empty, a cute boy sat next to me with a mobile phone in his hand and kept looking at me with a smile. He, by then, had come to know that I had a relationship with Mrs. Bhangu and Malikit Rooni. I asked her class as a reminder, she told her 4th class. He himself told the tenth year of age. “Will you make a photo of me with others?” he asked me. I answered yes. Pointing a finger at my turban and twisting the other finger towards his head, he next asked, “Would you teach me how to tie a turban?” I again said yes.
At meal time I led him by the finger into the dining-hall, taking a promise from him that he would return to his heir from among the crowd. Gurpreet Bhangu, Malkeet Rooni and Karamjit Anmol took pictures with her in the arms. Then I took her in my arms and photographed her. When I was again looking for a chair in the packed auditorium, he came back and grabbed my finger. Perhaps he had reserved a seat for me, he himself sat on his father’s lap. His father said that he is a physics professor in a college. Wife runs a small private school. He also said that he likes the name ‘Jassi’ of Chradde Punjab very much, because of which he has named his son ‘Jasim’ from Jassi. When I told about going to Sri Nankana Sahib the next day, I felt a strange joy on their faces. “We’re staying over there, call as we walk, we’ll see you later.”
The next morning Prof. Jamshed (child’s father) gets a call. “Sure call please, we will see you, I didn’t sleep all night remembering you that Ma will see you again.”
On the second day we reached Nankana Sahib as scheduled. Inside the Gurughar, the whole family was waiting for us with handkerchiefs tied on their heads at the main entrance, we were waiting for them. Noor was knocking on the little boy’s face. He stayed with us by holding my and Madam Bhangu’s finger. Prof. Sahib took my camera and started taking pictures of us. The whole family sat with us and ate langar.
On the return Prof. Sahib’s father Osaid Raza and family presented a shawl for me and a suit for Gurpreet Bhangu. We said goodbye and left. Standing at a distance, this human relationship and we said ‘bye bye’ looking at each other again with Sejal eyes. Instead of the market, the police party took us back to Lahore because of the movie faces. Karamjit Anmol stopped the police party at one place to take necessary pictures of the boards showing the distance of Nankana Sahib. Also, the car of this family coming behind stopped. Saying this, “Begham Amina, could not say goodbye to mother.” Then Begham and madam were upset. Promises were made to meet again and remember.
While returning, I kept looking at the surrounding fields, workers, passers-by, trees, birds. Everything, including speech, is the same as us. 1947 emerges in my mind… Mar Dhar emerges… villains curse the centuries emerge. This train of thought is broken only when we reach our accommodation hotel.
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