BY PAMELA BOLLA
‘Recognise the whole human race as one’. – Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Equality is something society has always strived for. Over history time and time again, the fight for an egalitarian world has been endless and bloody. There is no doubt that religion and faith cause much of this strife. Though the progress of science means religious followers are in decline, there still lies a path for faith and belief in something greater.
Sikhism. The world’s youngest and second smallest of the six major world religions. For the most part and for most people, little is known about this faith, which was founded in late 15th Century Punjab (a district now split between India and Pakistan) by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. As with every faith, over the years there has been much trouble, calling for a need to stand up for beliefs. Even in the 21st Century, the issues are endless. From Sikhs being forced to remove their turbans at airports to having their places of worship (Gurdwaras) stormed and attacked by Nationalists because of mistaken identity, the last decade or so have tested Sikhs.
‘Sikhi Week’ is here once again! It is an annual joint event held by the Sikh Societies of the University of Leicester and DeMontfort University. Over the course of the week, the two universities team up for events, from a talk on ‘The Science of Connecting’ to ‘Langar on Campus’. ‘Langar on Campus’ is undoubtedly our biggest event of the year as we provide free food for anyone and everyone! This food will have been cooked the day before and on Wednesday morning from 6.30am by students from both universities. There will also be a stall on Monday 11th from 10am to 4pm selling samosas and cakes for Khalsa Aid and Save the Children. Come along!
What is Langar? The Langar is a free kitchen, started by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, which sets out to advocate equality between all people regardless of their religion, race, age, gender, creed or social status. In the Langar Hall, people are asked to remove shoes and cover heads then all sit on the floor and enjoy their food together. Sitting on the floor shows we are all one; equality is again key. No one is turned away. We all get together to help cook the vegetarian food, then after feeding several hundred people, get back together to wash and clean up. All who help do so freely and without obligation.
‘Seva’ or ‘Sewa’, means “selfless service”. As students, we all try to commit ourselves to volunteering, whether it be for an extra line to put on CVs or because of a desire to do good without personal reward. All Sikhs are encouraged from a young age to perform Seva, from making food in the Gurdwara (Temple) to doing charity work around the world (Khalsa Aid travel internationally, helping those in crises). Seva is a principle we can all appreciate as being good and doing good, as it is what most of us try to do throughout life. Everyone is welcome this Tuesday evening from 5pm at Guru Amar Das Gurdwara on Clarendon Park Road, to do their bit and help prepare the Langar for Wednesday. Pop down on Monday to our stall outside Queen’s Hall to find out how you can help!
It may be that less and less of us are choosing religion first, but it still goes that we are all students from a diverse range of backgrounds, wishing to do more good in the world!
Sikhi Week 2013… 11th – 15th February!
Find the event and further details on Facebook here.
The Ripple 
Reblogged this on What was I saying? and commented:
My first ever real published article!! 😀