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New Yorkers recall Sikh history of social justice at Vaisakhi festival
Summary
About 150 people gathered in Manhattan on April 18 for a Vaisakhi celebration that recalled Sikh traditions of defending religious freedom and emphasized service, communal prayer and langar.
Content
About 150 people gathered on April 18 at a Manhattan Sikh Association Vaisakhi celebration held on the sixth floor of a West Village building. The event marked Vaisakhi, a spring festival linked in Sikh tradition to Guru Tegh Bahadur's act of defending religious freedom and to the later institution of the Khalsa. The diwan included prayers, readings from the Guru Granth Sahib, kirtan and communal singing. Speakers and attendees emphasized seva (service), langar (communal meals) and standing with those in need.
Key points:
- About 150 people attended the Manhattan Sikh Association Vaisakhi celebration on April 18 at Infinite Space NYC in the West Village.
- Sikh tradition holds that Guru Tegh Bahadur defended religious freedom, and attendees linked that history to the festival's origins and to the founding of the Khalsa.
- The diwan featured prayers, Scriptural readings from the Guru Granth Sahib, kirtan, instrumental performances and a projected chant in Punjabi and English to aid communal singing.
- Speakers described the Sikh practices of seva and langar; an educator at the event estimated the free vegetarian meals feed at least 6 million people daily worldwide.
- The Manhattan Sikh Association aims to serve people who live in or commute into the city, and its events are open to initiated Khalsa members and others.
Summary:
The gathering reinforced themes of service, solidarity and the historical pairing of self-defense with aid in Sikh identity. Undetermined at this time.
