Langar, the practice of preparing and serving a free meal, is an essential part of Sikhism, and promotes the tenet of seva or selfless service
Be it a natural disaster, such as the Kerala floods, a pandemic, or protests – against the Citizenship Act in India, or against racism in the United States – the Sikh community has always been in the forefront of providing meals.
Langar, the practice of preparing and serving a free meal, is an essential part of Sikhism, and promotes the tenet of seva or selfless service.
Even as religious places had been closed in the US in view of the coronavirus-driven lockdown, a gurudwara in New York’s Queens Village has served more than 1,45,000 free meals in 10 weeks to hospital workers, to the poor or anyone in need.
Now, members of the gurudwara have taken to providing meals to those who have been protesting against the killing of George Floyd by a white cop in Minneapolis on May 25.
Last week, a dozen Sikh volunteers or sevadars served 500 portions of matar paneer, rajma chawal and 1,000 bottles of water and cans of soda to demonstrators in Sunnyside, The New York Times reported. Add to it, they also offered kheer, or sweet rice pudding, for dessert.
The pictures from the langar seva were shared by Kalgidhar Trust - Baru Sahib on their official Facebook page.
Himmat Singh, a coordinator at the World Sikh Parliament, said, “Where we see peaceful protest, we are going. We are looking for justice, we support this.”
A similar story has emerged from Fremont, California, where Sikhs handed out several hundred bottles of water to protesters as a show of solidarity.
Another gurudwara in Los Angeles served 700 portions of red-sauce pasta and 500 bottles of water to protesters camping at the Pan Pacific Park.
Gurjiv Kaur, a volunteer at the gurudwara, said, ““It is our duty to stand up with others to fight for justice.”
“Langar at its core is a revolution — against inequality and the caste system,” she added.
