Nobody In The Holy Land Of Guru Nanak Tells A Lie; They Always Speak The Truth."

[drkhalsa]

Rawalpindi’s Muslim tenant remembers his
pre-Partition Sikh landlord
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service


​

Bhupinder Singh
​

​

Sometimes, human sentiments transcend the regional and the temporal barriers. And this has been the case with a Muslim tenant of the pre-Partition days. The original rent deed, signed between a Sikh landlord and his Muslim tenant at Rawalpindi, a few days before the Partition, is now the prized possession of the UK-born Bhupinder Singh, who was in the city recently.

It was a chance meeting with Muslim brethren in one the busiest Sardaran Wala Bagh Chowk at Rawalpindi that Mr Bhupinder Singh came across this instance of human sentiments at their best. One of the men, Mohammad Hassan, who had been a tenant of Sikh landlord at Rawalpindi, told Mr Bhupinder Singh that he had been waiting for a Sikh to take away the original rent deed, which he had preserved since the time of the Partition. "This is my way of paying the debt to the Sikhs," the erstwhile tenant said.

The rent deed
​

​

He added that he was "under debt"; he could not pay the rent mentioned in the deed, signed in 1947. "Sardarji never came back after the signing of the deed and I don't know what to do about the rent I owe him," he explained. The entire area, which is still called Sardaranwala Bagh (now converted into a big shopping complex) belonged to two brothers - Mohan Singh and Sohan Singh, he said.

As per the rent deed, written in Persian script, the shop was rented out on Rs 7 per month to Mohammad Hassan. As an advance amount, Rs 35 had been taken. Two witnesses had also signed on the rent deed. Mohammad Hassan told Mr Bhupinder Singh that Sardaran Wala Bagh and Krishan Pura areas were dominated by Sikhs and Hindus those days. However, the Partition had compelled them to leave Rawalpindi.

During his visit to Pakistan, Mr Bhupinder Singh also visited the Pakistani hill station Murri. "Unlike India, colonial buildings and scenic beauty of the hills and other parts of Pakistan have been preserved," says Mr Bhupinder Singh.

He gives another interesting account of his visit to the office of the deputy commissioner, Shekhupura, near Nankana Sahib. "The deputy commissioner of Shekhupura was holding an open-darbar outside his office. Under the huge portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, it was written - Nobody in the holy land of Guru Nanak tells a lie; they always speak the truth."

He adds that he was impressed with the preservation of Sikh art and heritage in the fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

 

[c s chadha]

Dear Varinder and Bupinder

I am going to Rawalpindi next month to visit our ancestral village and would like to know how to obtain information on our ancesters, property or lands while in Pakistan.

If you know of any sources that I could access from England or while in Rawalpindi that you could let me know about, I would really appreciate it.

Regards

Chitranjan