In Sikhism, a langar is the community kitchen of a gurdwara which serves free meals to everyone irrespective of religion, caste, gender, social standing and ethnicity.
Although I have been to gurdwaras a few times and enjoyed their delicious vegetarian meals, I never had the chance to observe their operations – that is, until my recent visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
My visit to the langar of the Golden Temple held me spellbound as I observed the entire operations there.
Our tour guide briefed us at every section of the langar. We marvelled that this amazing kitchen feeds over 100,000 visitors daily, including tourists like us.
After our mouth-watering meal, we toured the entire langar, observing the workings of the immense kitchen, which operates throughout the day, every day.
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The faithful and visitors to the Golden Temple or any gurdwara are obliged to cover their heads. Devotees and visitors to gurdwaras around the world are also welcome to a free meal at the langar.
Gurdwaras serve only vegetarian meals to accommodate the dietary restrictions of people of all walks of life.
The langar is a tribute to humanity, a benchmark in efficiency, especially evident in its specialisation of labour. Here, we witnessed the sincere dedication of the community in its unyielding efforts to serve meals to everyone.
What better service to humanity can any community carry out than serving all devotees and visitors in such a big-hearted way!
I noticed the staff working hard to ensure that all the devotees and visitors were fed generously. The speed with which these volunteers discharge their duties takes your breath away. Never have I seen community service performed so admirably!
The specialisation of labour is conspicuous in the section where the volunteers, mainly women, are allocated various jobs – peeling and cutting onions, and chopping chillies, garlic, ginger and assorted vegetables.
All this work is carried out meticulously with clockwork precision. I was enthralled just watching these volunteers working so diligently.
Next, we made our way to the area where chapatis are made. The chapatis are either machine-moulded or manually prepared the traditional way. So if the machines break down or if there is a power cut, no fear, the chapatis can still be produced.
Before leaving the Golden Temple, we headed to the section where tea or chah – with its unique taste – is served.
What I witnessed at the langar of the Golden Temple moved even a non-Sikh like me. Marvelling at how a minority community can make such an immense contribution through personal service leaves me speechless.
So, why are so many majority communities around the world continually complaining about so many trivial issues, when a minority community like the Sikhs can take on such a herculean task on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
Even in Malaysia, the Sikh community answers the call of service by providing food aid during any emergency, like in the aftermath of flash floods.
Kudos to the Sikh volunteers who work so tirelessly, serving not only members of their own faith but also visitors to their langar. Such a service showcases their immense humanity, efficiency and coordination.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
I love sikh religion ♥️♥️❤️ thanks for sharing
It was an enlightening experience seeing the Golden Temple and visiting the langar.
Thank You. Well Done Brother. Waheguru Bless You.
I wrote what I saw on my visit. Even for a Catholic like me, I was moved by the humanity, efficiency and spirit of volunteerism \.
Happy Vasakhi to all Sikhs.