Today at about 7 pm, I see a group of foreigner tourists in Harminder Sahib and when I was outside, I saw them boarding Rickshaws. Two of the women were sitting in one rickshaw and one of them was smoking. And then she gave the cigarette to other one. Avoiding the smoke, I hurriedly asked the lady, if she was keeping the cigarettes with her, when she was inside the temple.
She said, "Yes, but I did not smoke inside. I smoked before going inside. Do you want one?"
I said, "No. How many of you are here in this group."
"We are thirty" She told.
Did all of them kept cigarette packs in pockets".
One of them said, "yes all thirty" and the other said, "ten".
I told them that it is prohibited to take cigarettes inside and their Rickshaw moved, mean while.
It is very painful, to know what I have shared here. Thousands of non sikh visitors/tourists visit Harminder Sahib daily. There are one or two, small sign boards, to advise to not take tobacco/cigarettes inside. But there is no strict vigil to prevent it happen.
Once a VEER JI, told me that if we request the visitors coming to LANGAR HALL, to keep tobacco/cigarettes outside; it will fill big baskets with this material.
-------------------------I have no words to comment on this situation. WE must need to devise solution to it.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥