Search the Community

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. My first post on this forum, prompted by wanting to share a strange experience with you. I live in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and whilst walking to the local shops yesterday I was approached by an Asian man, perhaps 30 years of age, who crossed the street to talk to me. He greeted me with Sat Sri Akal, which I reciprocated (I wear a Dastar and a beard, so he knew I was a Sikh). His Punjabi was quite poor, but he kept conversing in it, although his English, which he occasionally resorted to, was excellent. He gave me his name, which I forget (I'm useless at names at the best of times), and asked where I lived. I pointed in the direction I had come from and said I live over there. He replied "I live at 16 Chester Road" and proceded to give me directions to his house. Then he blurted out "There's no gurdwara in Stevenage", which is true. There are several Gurdwaras in Hitchin (a neighbouring town) I pointed out, to which he replied "yes, I used to go". Why stop going, I wondered to myself. Then, in broken Punjabi he said, repeatedly, "You should come to my house, you should come to my house", probably five or six times. Perhaps I will, I replied, just to be polite. You're thinking that's a slightly strange, but hardly newsworthy conversation, and I would agree. I had no intention of just turning up to this chap's house sometime, without knowing anything about him, what his outlook is, etc etc, and what if he was out and his wife/family were in, they might wonder what on earth I had come around for and why I expected hospitality. However - there's a reason why this might be more than just a slightly odd conversation with a stranger. As this man was blurting out "there's no Gurdwara here" I remembered having an identical conversation with another Asian man, perhaps six months earlier. He was older than this man, perhaps his father, perhaps not. He had also approached me as I walked along, about half a mile away from where this later conversation took place, and the only difference in the conversation between these two men was the older one had the gift of the gab (whereas the younger one didn't beat around the bush) and the older chap spoke Punjabi very well. The older man had also, mid-conversation, suddenly said "there's no Gurdwara here", to which I had replied, as later, there are several Gurdwaras in neighbouring Hitchin. As with the younger guy, the older one had replied to me "yes, I used to go". And then, he said to me "I live at 16 Chester Road, it's over there, go under the unerpass, turn right, then left, there it is. You should come round sometime. You should come round". Two identical speeches, both trying to convince me to come to this same address, and trying to persuade me that it would be a good idea to go there in the absence of a Gurdwara in Stevenage. The startling similarities in these speeches tells me they are pre-prepared and probably used several times. On both occasions I had no idea which religion these men belonged to, but I am now started to wonder if the aim of both of these people, who apparently live in the same house, is to trick Sikhs into coming to this address so that they can start to indoctrinate them into some other religion - come hang out with us instead of going to the Gurdwara. Perhaps I'm too cynical, perhaps not, but if you live in Stevenage and someone starts telling you, for no apparent reason, that they live at 16 Chester Road and that you should visit, be aware.