GORAKHPUR: For Manjeet Singh, organising monthly langar (community meal) for poor rickshaw pullers and destitute has become a mission.
Singh's inspiration to do something for the poor came almost nine months ago when he says he got a "calling from the Almighty to do something for humanity."
Speaking about his mission, Singh said, "With Wahe Guru's inspiration I decided to do something for humanity. The idea for arranging food for the poor through a monthly langar came to me in February when I thought that my father had built a good set up (business) but went empty handed. Since then I have been holding langars for the poor, especially rickshaw pullers and passers by every month." he said.
Singh bears the entire expense incurred in holding the langar that comes to about INR 30, 000 to 40,000 with around 1,500 people taking the meal each month.
On the day of the langar, Singh can be seen hailing passers by and rickshaw pullers to have a meal at the special camp (Guru Nanak Dev's Kitchen) set up on the busy street of Golghar.
Locals, mostly Sikh youth, volunteer to help in the langar service.
"Serving food to the hungry gives me satisfaction. By having a meal at the langar, a rickshaw puller saves about INR 30 to 40, the amount he would have had to spend on purchasing a meal from the market. People initially objected to serving food to rickshaw pullers saying that it is useless to feed them as most of them are addicted to narcotics and they would use the money for buying liquor. But I didn't care about such remarks and continued the duty God assigned to me," said Singh.
"The Global Hunger Index in 2014 ranks India 55th out of 77 countries and, as such, these sort of little steps would certainly help combat the grave situation of starvation in our country," affirms Manjeet, whose father settled in Gorakhpur after migrating from Kashmir in the early 1930s.
Manjeet Singh says:
I am Manjeet Singh from a place called Gorakhpur in eastern U.P. I am doing an ok kind of business. This thought came in my mind in the month of February 2015 and I discussed it with my brothers and friends but no one came forward to join hands with me.
I was disappointed in the lack of support, but the most important thing I have is the blessings of WAHE GURU JI, so I moved ahead with self-finance and started GURU NANAK DEV JI's - FREE KITCHEN Langar sewa in April 2015, serving langar once a month in front of my showroom.
I had a special folding tent made, 20 ft. x 10 ft. with the printing done on three sides saying "GURU NANAK DEV JI'S - FREE KITCHEN" and I bought an Ahuja P.A. system for playing Gurbani during the langar.
Another local tent is being fixed for fifty 20 litre jars of RO drinking water, 125 kg to 135 kg rice and 200 kg mixed vegetables or 50 kg rajma daal which are being cooked for each langar where about 1,500 people enjoy GURU KA LANGAR. They are mainly Paddel rickshaw walas. A few local Sikh people come to do seva for the langar.
We start langar sewa at 11 am with Ardas and we finish serving by 1 pm. I keep three boys employed to clean the whole area so that no one in the market can say a single word about dirtiness.
Since August 2016 we are now serving twice a month and it is all due to the BLESSINGS OF WAHE GURU JI and of my father late S. Sunder Singh Ji.
This is a poster I printed specially to display on the walls of three local Gurdwaras. This poster is self explanatory [it is about speaking Punjabi in the house.] I'm sure you are aware that Hindi and English are very commonly spoken with the kids. Lots of people appreciated the message but also many people tried their best to find fault.
Gorakhpur city is in the eastern part of Utter Pradesh next to Bihar. The Nepal boarder is just 100 kms away. Gorakhpur's capital is GORAKHNATH BABA, the last place of SANT KABIR JI [a Gurdwara is being built at this place by the SGPC.] The birthplace of Lord BUDDHA in Nepal is 135 kms away and his last place is just 50 kms away. The world famous Geeta Press is in Gorakhpur.
The idea I am sharing with you is that if a person living in a remote area, who has no connections in Punjab, can do langar sewa then people who have good connections or are very well off can come forward to do the sewa as well per the teachings of our GREAT GURUS. If you want to ask anything, please free to ask me.
Manjeet Singh
M/s. M. S. Enterprises
5, Jalkal Building , Golghar,
Gorakhpur - 273001
Cell no. +91-9335450025
