In the name of the Guru
Past weekend I got the lovely opportunity to visit a Gurudwara with our friends. It was the first time for me and definitely an eye-opener. All I knew about the Sikhs as a community was that they were strong-willed and bodily strong, and hence entered the defence so easily, apart from of course the Kushwant Singh Sardarji jokes. This trip to the holy shrine of the Sikhs brought me closer to their culture and gave me new perspectives. Being from the south, Punjab to me was really a state of high yield fields, the Golden Temple and some chaos thanks to our beloved neighbours - Pakistan.
The Gurudwara we visited is located at Berri - again a land of farms in South Australia. They supply citrus juices to the whole world. The drive as such was a long one lasting about 3 hours, but seemed short because of good company. We reached the Gurudwara around 11 am and were greeted by friends. The hospitality these people exhibit goes unmatched by many other communities. We were invited to have breakfast at the pantry. The breakfast was all prepared by volunteers, and I was surprised by the enthusiasm with which the women cook for so many people. The number of items and the taste of each, expressed the love with which it must have been prepared.
After having snacks, we entered the prayer hall. The hall was so inviting with the bright colored fabrics and beautiful flowers. It did look like the Guru was right there amongst his devotees when the prayers were being offered. There were around 150 people in all and yet the hall was so peaceful. The Bhajans (Paat) were so soft and soothing to the ears. It was a little different from the usual Poojas I have attended in the Hindu temples. The prayer went on for about 2 hours and after that my friend (who is a Sikh) explained to me about the 10 Gurus and the sufferings inflicted on the Sikhs by the Muslims. I was shocked by the torture they had to go through to stick to their beliefs, and the best part was inspite of all the torture, not one Sikh got converted to Islam. Now I understand from where they get their strong-will.
After this we were asked to have langarh, which is similar to prasad but is a full meal. We found ourselves again in the pantry with lot of goodies. Again, I was surprised by the number of rotis the women must have made and the quantity of chole etc. The people are very friendly and are ready to become friends with just about anybody. Not surprisingly, most of these people do farming and have lived in this place for almost 2 generations. They have created a good niche for themselves in cultivating citrus fruits, grapes for wine and a few other varieties. Looks like they are really successful at it from the cars they drive and the homes they live.
It was a very good experience for me and hope to return again someday soon.
The Gurudwara we visited is located at Berri - again a land of farms in South Australia. They supply citrus juices to the whole world. The drive as such was a long one lasting about 3 hours, but seemed short because of good company. We reached the Gurudwara around 11 am and were greeted by friends. The hospitality these people exhibit goes unmatched by many other communities. We were invited to have breakfast at the pantry. The breakfast was all prepared by volunteers, and I was surprised by the enthusiasm with which the women cook for so many people. The number of items and the taste of each, expressed the love with which it must have been prepared.
After having snacks, we entered the prayer hall. The hall was so inviting with the bright colored fabrics and beautiful flowers. It did look like the Guru was right there amongst his devotees when the prayers were being offered. There were around 150 people in all and yet the hall was so peaceful. The Bhajans (Paat) were so soft and soothing to the ears. It was a little different from the usual Poojas I have attended in the Hindu temples. The prayer went on for about 2 hours and after that my friend (who is a Sikh) explained to me about the 10 Gurus and the sufferings inflicted on the Sikhs by the Muslims. I was shocked by the torture they had to go through to stick to their beliefs, and the best part was inspite of all the torture, not one Sikh got converted to Islam. Now I understand from where they get their strong-will.
After this we were asked to have langarh, which is similar to prasad but is a full meal. We found ourselves again in the pantry with lot of goodies. Again, I was surprised by the number of rotis the women must have made and the quantity of chole etc. The people are very friendly and are ready to become friends with just about anybody. Not surprisingly, most of these people do farming and have lived in this place for almost 2 generations. They have created a good niche for themselves in cultivating citrus fruits, grapes for wine and a few other varieties. Looks like they are really successful at it from the cars they drive and the homes they live.
It was a very good experience for me and hope to return again someday soon.
posted by Ace of Space at
6/20/2005 06:20:00 PM
1 Comments:
Yeah. I am looking forward to going back to the Gurudwara :)
At least we ate and then entered the prayer hall with a satisfied stomach and mind to pray peacefully, but u guys never even turned up inside ;)
By
Ace of Space, at 6/24/2005 11:11 AM
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