Yet it was another 'jewel in the Crown of the Sikh Community'. The Phoenix Sikh Community, though small in number, has a big heart. Its members yet came out with another cool idea to serve the Creation of God Almighty on one of the hottest day of the year by free distribution of 20,000 cold water bottles simply because they believe in God given dictum 'Serving humanity or God's Creation is akin to serving God itself'.
Close to 40 Sikhs started to collect around 2:30 pm in Steele Indian School Park located at North East Corner of Indian School Road and Central Ave in midtown Phoenix on July 4th Independence Day. The Temperature in this Desert City was hovering close to 107 degrees. Not bothered by the heat, they got to work, putting a tent at the entry to the park from Central Ave and Glenrosa Street and began pulling out cold water bottles that they had bought a day before and stored in a 26 feet long refrigerated truck. Once the tent was raised, the Seva started. They did not finish till the end beyond the fireworks, after everybody had left and the clock started to show almost 11 O'clock.
It was mentioned by the Police department that estimated 100,000 people might have attended the event coming through the four entries to the park. Serving 20,000 water bottles was not a joke but the 30-40 members of Sikh Community did it. Most of them had worn an Apron stating "I am A Sikh! Serving Humanity is my Religion". Their Tent Banner read "Sikh-Americans Serving Fellow Americans with a glorified Sikh Turban borrowed from courtesy of 'National Sikh Campaign'.
Plenty of hugs, Thank you and God Bless you, your community and God bless the Sikhs by satisfied attendees were all too common and too often. While the temperature kept on rising reaching almost 107 degree, every Sikh man Woman and child was cool enough to exude happiness, satisfaction and sense of pleasure for after all what could have been better than celebrating the independence day of their beloved country by serving your fellow men and women with a spirit of selflessness.
Police department cooperated so much that the event seemed to be 'For the Sikhs and by the Sikhs'. The turbans Blue Red and White were all around. An atmosphere was that of a picnic and not only the people who came to witness the firework enjoyed but the members of Sikh community enjoyed it equally as well or even more given the pleasure they had in serving others in accordance with Sikh concept of 'Nishkaam Seva'.
Dr. Jaswant Singh Sachdev, M.D., F.A.A.N.
Phoenix, Arizona [email protected]