Gurcharan says that Maharaj gave hukam that this place should be so decorated with lightbulbs for Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday that Indar Devta (king of the gods, associated with rain and thunderstorms) would come down to see what is happening. And so it was. Rain is very rare in winter here—it hasn’t rained in months—but yet when we woke up this morning it was raining steadily. And as the day went on, the rain increased in strength until it was a tree-snapping storm, with roiling clouds and unearthly passages of darkness and light.

The open-air pandal used for programmes was built by Mohinder Singh: a steel framework crisscrossed with bamboo poles, covered by canvas. It is adequate to protect people from sun, rain, and cold, but not from heavy rain and wind. Today its canvas panels billowed like sails, and there were as many puddles as dry spots beneath. The show went on, in celebration of Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday, with Deepinder Kaur singing Jaap Sahib more beautifully than ever before. Giani Ji told the story of what Father Gregorios said of Maharaj at his Orthodox Christian function—“He is my Guru. He is truly spiritual; we are not spiritual.” Maharaj did not appear today, but everyone was in a very jolly mood nonetheless.

The walkway to the pandal quickly turned into treacherously slippery mud, so Jatinder Singh organized a brick brigade to lay a wide footpath. Out of nowhere, perhaps 30 of us appeared carrying bricks, and there were just enough to finish the path. Children, women, a one-armed man—all were carrying bricks, and the work was quickly completed.

Major Sahib says this rain will make the wheat crop outstanding, so all the farmers and even the government of India are very happy.

We could really feel that we were being showered with blessings.  There was no anger anywhere, even with thousands of people picking their way through mud and crowding into the small covered langar area (for the pandal’s poles had snapped), with very little sleep after last night’s programme of Qawwalis and bhangra dancing into the wee hours. Everyone was greeting each other with supreme happiness.

Only God/Maharaj can bring such a rain, and only God/Maharaj can so shower us all with love and joy.