A group of youngsters were filling the large drums with buttermilk while others join to offer glasses of these thirst quenchers to those who made their way to Gurudwara Sadh Sangat. While the main prayer hall reverberated with bhajans and kirtans, hundreds of Sikhs lined up to offer prayers to Guru Granth Sahib.
Ushering in the new month of the year, the Sikh community gathered at the venue to offer prayers as part of the ‘Khalsa Sajana Diwas’ as the day symbolises the birth of Khalsa Panth where Gobind Rai, the 10th Guru of Sikhs, became Guru Gobind Singh after accepting ‘amrit’ (holy water) from ‘Panj Pyare’.
Scores of Sikhs came together to mark the annual harvest festival, which was also celebrated the same day. Donning new attires, socialising with family and friends and expressing their gratitude for a rich harvest and greeting each other ‘Baisakhi di badai’ formed part of the festival celebrations. At sangat, the celebrations included ‘akhand-path’, ‘Nishan Sahib seva’, ‘akhand-path bhog’ and ‘kirtans’ followed by ‘langar’.
As a mark of respect, some women were seen extending their service at the shoe-counter of Gurudwara. The day, for the community, is considered to be quite auspicious. The faithful said Guru Gobind Singh strived hard to root out social evils and gave equal opportunities to men and women. Women said they wake up early to pay tribute to their last Guru. “Our day starts a little early where we dish out ‘kadah prasad’ (sweet made of wheat flour, ghee and sugar) and distribute it to our family and friends. We take participate in kirtans and bhajans as a sign of respect to our tenth Guru,” Pradeep Kaur said.
