Sikhs all over the world are celebrating the 300th anniversary of their holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, which is considered the living embodiment of the 10 Sikh gurus. I try never to miss a chance to go to the Sikh temple off Old Town Road in Dongan Hills and today I got to go in style. Sikh style, that is.
On Friday Dr. Amarajit Singh Gill and his wife, Rita Gill, came to the Advance with a gift for me, a beautiful orange Punjabi suit. Mrs. Gill said people at the temple would be thrilled if I wore it today for the celebration. But in reality, I was the one who was thrilled. It is the most beautiful outfit I have ever worn. For once out of my standard black uniform, I felt like an oak tree gone resplendent for the change of seasons. But even better than that, I felt included in the celebration.
Guru Granth Sahib also was covered in a beautiful orange cloth as worshippers bowed low and left dollar bills at an altar. The volume was compiled by the fifth guru, with the writings of his successors added later. The 10th guru, Gobind Singh, anointed Guru Granth Sahib as his successor in 1708. The book lays down the basics of the Sikh faith: That all men and women are equal, that there is only one God, and that the most pure pursuit in life is to practice compassion and loving kindness always.
The Granth is 1,430 pages long, and all this weekend, from Friday night to Sunday morning, people at the temple took turns reading from it. After yesterday's celebration in Dongan Hills, Jasbir Kaur of Old Bridge, N.J., was heading for a Sikh temple in Carteret, N.J., where she was signed up to take a turn reading.
"Our Guru Granth Sahib is not just for the Sikhs," she said. "It is written for the whole world."
-By Leslie Palma-Simoncek