Multi-talented content strategist, brand builder and smart parenting guide, the young author amazes at the huge possibilities of the Sikh Langar becoming the great social leveller in today’s world -torn with hatred and strife amongst peoples and nations. Dwelling on her personal experience of partaking langar, she salutes the precept and practice of Langar and its impact, as observed by Sikhs during the recently concluded International Langar Week.

Religions have made or marred nations. There have been instances when religion has been a relief to the sores of life as well as incidents when religion has caused sores in life. 

While I am liberal minded and do not bear flags for a particular religion,  I am an avid Sikh.  Much like a true Sikh,  I don’t preach it’s values, I practice them and I believe that all religions have the same essence. And it’s not vanilla. It’s God-se-milna. On a spiritual connect basis.

Let’s raise a toast to Sikhi’s amazing tradition of hospitality and acceptance with a snippet on the langar or community meal service that is one of the highest forms of sewa Gurdwaras propagate. 

“The Langar is one form of sewa that is thoroughly selfless.”

Take part in a langar at least once in your lifetime.

Sitting on that mat or carpet and stretching your palms out to get the chapatis called parshada makes you humble. It gives you a fresh perspective to living and food.  Don’t we all live to earn and then use the latter for eating well? The langar makes you think if snobbish competition is actually worth a dime.  

After all it’s mostly about rice and chapati in life. Pizzas and pastas are occasional guests.

 

The clamour of utensils and the sync of rush-rush serving by the sewadars make you spare a thought about who you share the mat with.  There will be hundreds,  thousands or lakhs of people from all walks of life. And a langar will make you care the least.  Eating at a langar makes you prejudice-free for at least a few minutes. Absorbing this into life would only be bliss.

“I find solace in knowing that a hearty meal is all mine from God himself. I feel lucky to be Sikh to see that for one negative person, there are five positive persons looking to make the world a happier place.”

When Guru Nanak started the community kitchen concept in 1500 CE, perhaps he saw how a time such as the present would arise.

A time where people would be divided on the basis of everything possible. At such times, the Sikh langar serves as a reminder that prejudice and discrimination don’t fill stomachs. It kills hearts. If Sikhs were to be prejudiced, they would not make langar for Rohingya Muslims.  They would not cook for a lakh people (Golden Temple Amritsar Langar statistics) voluntarily and wash eaten-from plates. 

The Langar is one form of sewa that is thoroughly selfless.

I have eaten langars at my neighborhood Gurudwara …

…and it taught me that instead of finding anger when some aunt –bua chooses to talk me down or some lady who mocks my sense of fashion, I find solace in knowing that a hearty meal is all mine from God himself. I feel lucky to be Sikh to see that for one negative person, there are five positive persons looking to make the world a happier place, if not better. 

I have had langars at our Takht Harmandar Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple…

…and there I was amazed at how well organized huge meals can get with some dedication and grit. It’s amazing how the smallest farmers and the biggest investors contribute their bit to the langar kitchen. The langar there is magical. It makes you feel detoxed as you hear Gurbani and lick up warm kheer.

I have had langars at other Takhts…

…and seen how the diamond wearing and thread-wearing people forget their backgrounds and smack in the yummy lentils –Daal and savor the sweet rice dishes. There is something oddly satisfying and uniting about langars. It makes you feel that food perhaps is the best unifier. And God’s way of showing that humanity can actually be balanced on scales of equality is this langar. 

As we celebrated International Langar week from 2-8 October this year, saluting the langar is my chance to say thank you to God for ensuring that so many people are not let away hungry, wherever there is a Gurudwara around. 

From celebrities to commoners, the mat at langar halls has a place for everyone. A place that is of equal level and of equal repute.