Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

38ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : JAN-MARCH 2006 / 537-38 NSall.)An old Muslim lady whom I used to treat as my mother in Cairo,wanted to meet me on her death-bed before she breathed her last;A Catholic French woman, Mine Coiral in Paris thought that byrepeatedly asking her to think of Jesus all the time so that she wouldget rid of her loneliness, I had restored her faith in Christ. I used toserve her on week-ends, as a member of the Society for the poor,when I was free from diplomatic work;A Pakistani Muslim in the METRO in Paris was grateful that ina non-Muslim country, a non-Muslim had reminded him of his religiousduty, when I asked him if he performed his 5-time Namaz, and if hewas planning to go back to serve his countrymen. He was in Paris asa Doctor for advanced studies;For the last 25 years I work in an organisation for leprosy patientswhere no one is a Sikh or Punjabi, but, because of the teachings ofGuru Granth Sahib, nearly 1000 people are like my own children,parents and brothers and sisters.Inter-faith conferences, discussion and repetitions of theuniversality and relevance of our perpetual Guru’s perpetual love forall as also guidance on equality, friendliness and oneness, are fruitfulwhen they are shown the examples of such universality. I am remindedof a Christian priest, whom I personally loved and served in Vellore,when I was learning leprosy work in CMC & Hospital in Tamil Nadu.So long as he was sick, he appreciated and welcomed my association,but when he went to a temporary home for convalescence, he beganto think of his conversion magic. He told me that Jesus was the Saviourof the World, and I agreed that like Nanak, Mohammed and otherprophets, he was indeed great. He said: No, he was the floodlightwhile Guru Nanak was like a candle. Without mincing words, I toldhim I had gone through the Bible and I found great similarities betweenGuru Granth Sahib and the Bible. Later he wrote to ask me whether Ihad read the New Testament which he had left with me. I wrote back inreply that I loved it because it confirmed what I had learnt from GuruGranth Sahib. I had added that if the priests did not do disservice toJesus, people would love Jesus more. When I received 4-page letterof chiding mentioning his many years of theology, more work ofChristian concepts, I thought of Guru Nanak’s words: