ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
All the glory belongs to the One Supreme Creator The Eternal, All pervading Being, He is without fear of hate, Beyond Time, Immortal Beyond Birth or Rebirth, He can be realized by the Grace of the Guru through meditation on His Divine Name.
You take a turn round a peak to face a row of apricot trees in full blossom with white flowers laced with light blue hues. Those who travel by night may see a cute snow-white hare jumping onto the road, excited by the headlights of the van and then running rapidly across the road to vanish amongst the hedges. If you are travelling early in the morning, you hear a wide variety of birds chirping with melodious calls echoing the green foliage with the divine sound of music.
Tall trees along the road are a safe haven for monkeys and langurs who seem unbothered about the passing vehicles. You can break the journey at the steel bridge on river Giri, where a refreshing cup of tea seems to be in synergy with the lazily flowing river. River Giri flows along the road route, gets close to Baru Sahib and then gently takes its serpentine path to reach Paonta Sahib, where it merges with river Yamuna. Thus you reach Baru Sahib, a heaven on earth, enjoying a scenic landscape, which changes every moment over the entire 64 Km route from Solan. Divinity overtakes you as soon as you step out of the vehicle at Baru Sahib. You hear serene Kirtan or Gurbani Paath, which provide a heavenly backdrop to scenic beauty. Students dressed in blues and whites dot the campus like decorative
flowers of the Valley of Divine Peace.
Students join for Nitnem or Kirtan in the Darbar Sahib, as per their class timetables. For instance, the students of the Teachers Training College, who are grown-up teens, are the first to come to Darbar Sahib in the ambrosial hours of 12.30 in the morning, along with Baba Iqbal Singh. After the Prakash of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib, an ethereal Naam Simran of Waheguru Gur Mantra is performed. At 3.30 in the morning, the girls of Teachers’ Training College perform Asa-Di-Vaar Kirtan. They appear in all white and look like fairies –‘pareeyan shabad gaawan ayeean’. In this way, the Gurbani recitation goes on till 7.30 am, when the youngest of the students finish their Nitnem.
You don’t just meet students here you meet little angels engaged in the worship of the Lord and also busy learning their modern lessons all day long. Of course, they do take rest, good food, and necessary sleep and play various games. But they are kept away from the vicious poison of TV serials and cheap film music. They are excellent performers and achievers. The twisting ways of high hills slithering amongst the dense green and inexperienced forests and above the vision-catching views of river Giri are undoubtedly an experience of immense pleasure and adventure.