On the occasion of Vaisakhi, I want to share this travelogue of my trip to Nankana Sahab a few years ago. This is completely an apolitical post and should be treated as such. Going forward, I have decided to restrict my contributions to BP to non-political subjects such as Hindustani Music. I would appreciate if the Indian nationalists also do not write about the internal affairs of Pakistan (This is only a request).
According to Wikipedia, Vaisakhi was historically North India’s most important annual market. Wiki notes: “Although Vaisakhi began as a grain harvest festival for Hindus and its observance precedes the creation of Sikhism , it gained historical association with the Sikhs following the inauguration of the Khalsa”.
Recently, efforts have been made to revive Vaisakhi in Pakistan. An event was held in Lahore this past weekend hosted by THAAP (The Trust for History, Art and Architecture in Pakistan) in which I was invited to perform bhajans and shabads.
The event was reported on in DAWN:
World Heritage Day marked with Vaisakhi celebrations
The travelogue is below