New Delhi:
At the Afghan Birdari Gurdwara, in the heart of South Delhi, Hira Singh stops bustling around to share his story.
He belonged to an old and prosperous Sikh family in Kabul. In the mid-90s, when the Taliban's ferocity became the country's nightmare, Hira Singh left the only place that had been home to him.
"The government had collapsed, there were thousands killed everyday, there were daily demands for extortion," he recalls.
As the Taliban began persecuting other religions more aggressively, the Sikh community, a part of the Afghan social landscape for centuries, began its exodus march to India.
Hira Singh was among the first to leave. In Delhi, more than a decade later, he has not managed to become an Indian citizen. "The place hasn't owned me up, what sense of belonging will I have here?" he asks.
It was Hira Singh who founded the Afghan Birdari Gurdwara. Over the years, it has turned into a meeting place for Sikh exiles from Afghanistan, and more recently, Pakistan. In both countries, the community has been a target of Taliban attacks.
Here in Delhi, Hira Singh and his friends say they have been given shelter, but no dignity. "They tell us 'why don't you go back?' you may have seen recent reports on television - what is being done to Sikhs. Can we go back there? Is it a fair thing to ask?"
As the headlines scream about the Sikh beheadings in Peshawar, Hira Singh worries about others still living in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "They are always in danger there. But their families are there, they make a living there. How will they leave, even if they know it's safer somewhere else?"
He tells us then it's time for him to pray. Like always, he says, he will ask for peace for others whose countries have turned into foreign lands because of vengeful fanatics.
And for those in a position to help, give those in danger a safe passage, he pleads.
He belonged to an old and prosperous Sikh family in Kabul. In the mid-90s, when the Taliban's ferocity became the country's nightmare, Hira Singh left the only place that had been home to him.
"The government had collapsed, there were thousands killed everyday, there were daily demands for extortion," he recalls.
As the Taliban began persecuting other religions more aggressively, the Sikh community, a part of the Afghan social landscape for centuries, began its exodus march to India.
Hira Singh was among the first to leave. In Delhi, more than a decade later, he has not managed to become an Indian citizen. "The place hasn't owned me up, what sense of belonging will I have here?" he asks.
It was Hira Singh who founded the Afghan Birdari Gurdwara. Over the years, it has turned into a meeting place for Sikh exiles from Afghanistan, and more recently, Pakistan. In both countries, the community has been a target of Taliban attacks.
Here in Delhi, Hira Singh and his friends say they have been given shelter, but no dignity. "They tell us 'why don't you go back?' you may have seen recent reports on television - what is being done to Sikhs. Can we go back there? Is it a fair thing to ask?"
As the headlines scream about the Sikh beheadings in Peshawar, Hira Singh worries about others still living in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "They are always in danger there. But their families are there, they make a living there. How will they leave, even if they know it's safer somewhere else?"
He tells us then it's time for him to pray. Like always, he says, he will ask for peace for others whose countries have turned into foreign lands because of vengeful fanatics.
And for those in a position to help, give those in danger a safe passage, he pleads.
