The Sikh community abides by Guru Nanak’s teachings of kirat karo,naam jappo te vand chhako ,which translates to, ‘Work diligently- pray earnestly -share and consume together’. It is this uplifting concept that sets the foundation of community meals or the ‘Langar’. The tradition of langar has indeed come a long way, fostering human connection in times of peace and healing in times of conflict and devastation.
Langar or ‘free kitchen’
Langar is a gurdwara's community kitchen that serves meals free of charge to all, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity. All the people sit on the floor of the Gurudwara complex and eat together. The service of the kitchen and serving people is done by Sikh volunteers. When Sikhs perform langar sewa, they do it with a sense of love and respect as if they are serving their own guests.
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib: Serving 10,000 free meals a day
The entrance to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib does not have any restrictions on the number of visitors, as long as the visitors' heads are covered and their feet are bare. Every day, this largest Sikh temple in Delhi serves approximately 10,000 hearty vegetarian meals free of cost.
To get to the temple door, lunchers must wet their feet in a shallow tank of water before climbing white marble steps which lead to one of the most sacred places of worship for Sikhs in the capital city of Delhi, India. The busy traffic of Connaught Place, Delhi's buzzing business and financial center, which is located just outside the temple complex's towering white gates, is drowned out by the sonorous sound of the rabab, a classical stringed instrument. As the divine music spirals in, peace comes seeping slowly.
Inside the gurudwara
The door to the Gurudwara is swarmed by devotees who surround the perimeter of this historic golden shrine located in central Delhi, dating back to the 1700s. During Shah Alam II's reign, this sacred building was constructed by the Sikh General, Sardar Bhagel Singh, who supervised the construction of nine Sikh shrines in Delhi.
Many worshippers stand and pray before the shrine, which resembles a small, ornate canopy, their hands clasped to their chests, while others pray on the ground, every person has their method of praying. Each man and woman can pray to their god. There is freedom of expression.
But the most compelling form of worship is not here, but beyond the shrine, past the courtyard filled with tourists and pilgrims taking selfies, eating Karah Prashad, and strolling around the Sarovar, the expansive pool of water that fills the open marble complex. Sikh devotees who visit the shrine bathe in this pool of water known as Sarovar. They believe that immersion in the holy water of the Sarovar leads to spiritual benefits. The water in the Sarovar is considered pure (Amrit), sacred, and said to have healing powers. Families linger on the steps overlooking the pool just long enough for a child to get lost and found in the crowd. Then they follow the faint aroma of hot roti till they reach the entrance to the kitchen, the holiest sanctuary of all.
A tour to the Langar Hall
Over 200 people wait patiently outside, seated between a tall iron fence and a series of glass doors that open into the langar hall. Sewadars or volunteers of all ages, prepare the bright, airy room for the next communal meal. After each serving, the marble floor is swept and mopped, and skinny mats are rolled out in neat rows separated by aisles wide enough so volunteers can distribute shiny stainless steel trays and spoons.
A turbaned Sikh, with a megaphone in hand, delivers the Punjabi mealtime prayer- the grace before the hushed audience. It is a universal prayer of gratitude. The prayer does not ask for anything. Instead, it praises the Creator for taking care of its creation like father and mother. It offers thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon us, as well as the wisdom to be eternally grateful.
Following his words, the second wave of volunteers deposits warm discs of bread into each person's upturned palms. When you open your palms to accept the parshad at langar, you open yourself to the blessings of the Guru. Soon another group is seen heaving buckets of rice, lentils, sabzi (vegetable stew), jeera aloo (cumin-spiced potatoes), pickled okra, and mango down the rows of people waiting patiently to be served. In anticipation of the food being served on their trays, stomachs growl in anticipation and can be seen quickly scooped up by roti or spoon.
Within 15 minutes, the volunteers offer one, two, or three heaps more food until, as if on cue, each plate is wiped and clean. You can eat as much food as you like and the volunteers serve with immense love, care, and respect.
Every gurudwara from Delhi to London to Wisconsin offers free meals in its langar, and they should not be confused with a charity soup kitchen. Meal sharing is an integral part of the Sikh faith, perhaps best expressed through the prayer, “Loh langar tapde rahin,” or “May the hot plates of the langars remain forever in service.” The majority of people gathered at Bangla Sahib are middle-class families, seated alongside , back-to-back and side-to-side ,in rows on the floor are seniors, students, doctors, teachers, working-class people, and beggars. Even though everyone in the langar eats together as equals, few of the poor who live beyond the temple gates are found here.
A multitude of food preparations, cooks, and dishwashers are scattered throughout the massive kitchen, catering to temple-goers' appetites. Both men and women can be seen peeling and halving hundreds of red onions outside of the hall. There are no frowns on the faces of the volunteers, instead, they are constantly peeling and cutting vegetables with immense joy.
Despite the constant cooking and cleaning, which begins early each morning and ends at midnight, there is laughter and leisure. Volunteers seem tireless and are always smiling while serving. Friends, family and visitors enjoy the langar and the company of the community.
According to some, langar comes from the Hindi word “langar” which means plough or anchor. Sikhs embody both interpretations of the word: the langar is continuously in constant, laborious motion - cooking, serving, cleaning, and repeating the whole process roughly fifty times each day.
Several hundreds and thousands , both the haves and the have-nots, have benefited from the service of Langar, because it is easily accessible. The Sikh community has never failed to manifest their support. They have opened their doors, their hearts, and Gurudwaras when the world has needed them the most. Be it the global pandemic, floods, earthquakes, or draughts, the Sikh Langar has been served as a savior.
*Based on an article by Leah Kirts, Published Sept 6,2017 in Saveur