The festivities in the Sikh religion revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs. Their birthdays, known as ‘Gurpurab’ are the occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.
Last week Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 553rd birth anniversary was celebrated with vigor and devotion in Luton. The glitzy and dazzling lights welcomed hundreds of Sikh devotees.
Guru Nanak Dev is the first of the 10 Sikh gurus. As the founder of Sikhism, he is one of the most celebrated and highly revered Sikh gurus.
The new three-storey £5m Sikh temple building on Dallow Road is named after him and hence called Guru Nanak Gurudwara – Gurudwara meaning Door to the Guru.
At the Gurpurab celebrations, it was heartening to see, not just priests and adults, but also young children beautifully dressed in traditional clothes, taking an active part in the ‘Kirtan’ (meaning devotional singing) and also serving people food after they had finished their prayers.
Guru Nanak Dev talked of universal solidarity. His concept of ‘Ek Omkar’ talks of the oneness of humanity and the oneness of God. A very popular verse from the Sikh Holy Scriptures called ‘Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji’ (considered as the living word and the living Guru by the Sikhs) says that God created light – of which all the beings were born and from the same light, our universe is also born; so no one is better than the other and no one is worst than the other.
Welcoming a visiting Scouts group, Jasbir Singh and Paramjit Kaur, Sikh volunteers explained that Guru Nanak Dev Ji welcomed the needy and the poor. This shows that his priority was not in religious doctrines but in the dignity of all creation and all human beings. That is why Sikhs, wherever they are, as part of their faith, they serve ‘Langar’ – a free communal meal served at the Sikh Temple where everyone sits on the floor to eat, regardless of their social status. Even the great emperor Akbar in India is said to have sat on the floor and eaten the same food as others before he met with the Sikh Guru Amar Das Ji in the 16th century. This is one of the many ways in which the Sikh religion disseminates the spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood.
