The following was written last night, and not posted here, because it was not directly about gratitude. It was however about something that touches me deeply. It’s about the inequality that need not be. It’s about us human beings being so pathetically unawares of the plight of the lesser privileged. The other half.
One of the reasons I did not publish this is because it’s overly long, and my reason for it being so descriptive and detailed is to point out, that Langar is not a rushed obligation, but a labor of love, that seems effortless in how it is administered, seamlessly. It flows, without compromise on quality, quantity or service.
In my heart, I absolutely truly believe the below is possible. There just is no Will amongst the powers that be. What a desensitized society we have become. It has to change, otherwise we will devour ourselves.
The most powerful nations of the world have no excuse. The balance of inequality is so glaring, that society is hanging by a thread. It’s a wonder there is no anarchy.
Where possible, I do my bit, having neither the power, nor the resources to do more. Only a collective effort, like the gurdwaras make, can make this a possibility. There is a lot we can learn from their practice of Langar, the communal feast, providing free food. No questions asked. All are welcome.
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Here it is, my take on Resolving the issue of World Hunger.
The problem of World Hunger would easily be solved if there were Gurdwaras everywhere. Seriously. Keep reading, though. There is more to this than Gurdwaras, which is the name for temples of the Sikh faith.
The Sikhs must have magic Pots that are bottomless suppliers of the most delicious and nutritious food. In my whole life, I've never seen Langar (the Sikh communal feast served to the congregation after services) run out of food. Ever.
There's always some food leftover, and eager and willing members, especially single congregation members, bring it home. Takeaway containers supplied.
Last night I had lots to write about, but I started reading and then listened to music. This World Hunger issue was one of the things that came to mind.
We had gone to the Gurdwara for Gurpurab (the 10th Guru's birthday celebrations) with my friend Surinder, my first time at this one. There is an abundance of them in the Midlands, and it seems people from Jalandhar predominantly patronize this one. I had to tear myself away from the Shabad Kirtan, which was very good.
At the langar hall, the first thing to be served was a paneer Bhurji, with bell peppers, or capsicums as they are known here in the UK. Next came gobi-aloo, then boondi raita, the legendary langar dal, kheer, and super soft phulka rotis. The sewaks, as the volunteers are known, kept doing the rounds, offering refills, bringing water, or whatever it was someone wanted.
I took seconds of everything and was happily full when I noticed that the second round of diners was having besan kadhi, with a new dish of chunks of paneer, and the Sewaks (volunteers) were now doing the rounds with those dishes.
It was almost 2:30 pm, and I thought we had come down for Langar quite late, so it must be wrapping up time now. Not quite. Surinder told me that they start serving Langar from noon onwards, and it keeps going till 'everyone' has eaten. Wow! Okay.
Some of the larger gurdwaras also serve evening tea and snacks, and I partook of this at a Gurdwara in Queens, New York.
On an earlier trip to the UK a few years ago, we had stayed overnight at a hotel near Heathrow due to an early morning flight back to the US. We decided to go to a gurdwara, a short drive away, pay our respects, and have Langar dinner. It was a larger gurdwara, and they had table seating. As an overflow, there were tables further down the gigantic dining hall where one could eat comfortably, standing.
It was wintertime. After dinner, the sewaks (volunteers) came around with large kettles and glasses in their hands, announcing 'Dudh layo ji, garam Dudh layo ji' (hot milk, hot milk) in a sing-song manner. I thought I didn't hear correctly. Were they really offering hot milk after dinner? It seems they were.
Most of the people at the Langar would go home and go to bed for an early start to the working day tomorrow. It's customary in Punjab to have a nightcap of warm milk before bed. What the Langar offered here was a full-service dinner. I had never seen this before, but it seemed commonplace with the diners.
We had elected to eat standing at the far end, and as a result, we received even more attentive service. Nearby was the dishwashing station, and an older woman was drying the plates that volunteers washed. There was a man beside her. I had glanced her way, and she caught my eye. She gesticulated to the older gentleman to go and get us some hot milk. He came back with a kettle and 6-8 glasses in his hand.
The fragrance of the hot milk was like an instant blanket wrapping around one's heart. I wonder how many of us have lived long enough to remember that milk has a comforting and unique fragrance. An Earthy, natural, smell, like nourishment. It was truly heartwarming to see the commitment of these volunteers. This commitment is demonstrated in all the gurdwaras every single day.
In the larger Gurdwaras, especially the well-visited pilgrim sites, Langar starts with morning tea and snacks at 6:00 am, followed by breakfast, lunch, afternoon/ evening tea and snacks, and dinner. Documentaries and news stories about the Langar kitchens abound on the phenomenon and are quickly found with an internet search.
Anyone and Everyone, bar none, from the poorest person, of any color or creed, to the wealthiest, all eat together in the Langar halls. All are welcome, and no one ever turned away.
Service to one's fellow humankind is the fundamental basis of the Sikh religion. During the height of Covid, Gurdwaras in India, including several smaller neighborhood gurdwaras, opened their halls and set up hospital beds, providing oxygen (which was in short supply and selling at abnormally high prices in the black market, if available) to anyone who came.
These impromptu hospital camps came to be known as 'oxygen' Langars (communal feast). Many patients turned away from the hospital gates, drove for miles, and were welcomed at these Gurdwara hospital camps.
Where does the money for this generosity of spirit come from? It comes from offerings to the temple and donations from the Sikh community. One of the Sikh faith edicts is to donate 10% of one's income to the Gurdwara.
The second, and this is evident as the foremost principle, is the ethics of Sewa, or Voluntary Service. Sewa is imbibed early in a Sikh child, who learns by example.
When we lived in Sydney, and my son was in his early teens, we always stayed back to help with the cleanup, including the dishes in the Turramurra Gurudwara, where we went almost every Sunday. You will find volunteers- young children and men and women of all ages doing the Sewa, whether in the kitchens, serving in the dining halls, washing up, or at the rooms outside, where the shoes are removed and neatly kept. Some go to the extent of wiping them down with a cloth duster to refresh the dusty shoes.
How will the gurudwaras solve the problem of World Hunger? Certainly not by the 10% monetary contributions. Or opening branches. Some things are more than about money alone. These Sikh places of worship can solve World Hunger because they demonstrate daily their ideology to see every human being as a child of God and serve humanity.
The Sikhs' commitment to Sewa places them at the forefront of any disasters, providing Relief services, whether floods, fires, earthquakes or any other calamity. The Sikhs come from all parts of the country and converge with a unity rarely seen in any community regarding selfless service. Frequently Sikhs from other countries will send Relief teams for additional support. To provide examples will be like shining a torchlight on the sun.
Is my implication to fight World Hunger about the physical structures of gurudwaras? Honestly, no. That would be naivety and would not serve the Cause.
*I am implying that we view the concept of Langar as a Business Model. The Governance of the gurudwaras can teach us a lot. They have had experience with this from time immemorial since the Sikh Faith was born.
It is common knowledge that there is no lack of funds or resources kept in unnecessarily large reserves, with Corporations in all countries and government coffers of the world.
Instead of vying with each other for being the wealthiest, if these Corporations collaborated and committed some funds towards a grassroots level of support for localized initiatives, such as Rescue Missions which feed the homeless, and (some also provide shelter and clothing) or like Bon Jovi's JBJ Kitchens, Amma Canteens in Chennai, India, to name a few, it would make a huge difference.
Working in small geographical areas, at a grassroots level, such organizations could achieve a lot and serve their most vulnerable citizens.
However, there should be a caveat that the organizations Must be limited in size and scope, so there is minimal opportunity for corrupt practices to hide in the layers of management or bureaucracy. Any mismanagement would be visible in the shortcomings of the delivery of the purpose and corrective action taken.
The Gurudwara Langar idea is a Seed. We could grow ideas appropriate to the locations and situations from this seed. If we genuinely wanted to eradicate World Hunger, we could demand this from the powers that be. The Sikhs, with their clear intent of pure selfless service, have a lot to teach us if we want to learn.
What can we, as ordinary citizens, do? Find out where your local Gurdwara is and their hours of service. Then visit.
Gurudwaras, who feed common folk daily, and never run out of food, are waiting for you to come and partake of your first Langar meal if you have never been before.
Seeing, or in this instance, feasting, is believing.
Let me know what you think. Is this too simplistic, or can we ensure that no soul goes hungry in this world?
Veenu Banga
January 10, 2022.
