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  1. The Christians remember the poor and homeless during Xmas and then forget for the rest of the year. The Muslims remember the poor and homeless during Ramadan and then forget for the rest of the year. We Sikhs remember the poor and homeless all year round. The Muslims helps a non Muslim so he can convert them. A Christian helps a non Christian so he can convert them. We Sikhs help non Sikhs with no strings attached. Big difference
  2. https://says.com/my/news/malkith-singh-malaysian-superhero-sikh Meet Malkith Singh: A Part-Time Clerical Staff And A Full-Time Malaysian Superhero Sikh The 64-year-old man has been cooking food at gurdwaras across the country since 1974. By Sadho Ram — 26 Dec 2021, 06:02 PM — Updated less than a minute ago Cover image via Sadho/SAYS At around 4pm last Sunday, 19 December, this SAYS writer sent out a tweet with a photo of a turbaned man cooking in an oversized kadhai The man, with a beard white as milk, was preparing food for thousands of people who had been left stranded across the Klang Valley and beyond in the aftermath of continuous heavy rain for over three days. He was cooking in the community kitchen (langar) at the Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya (GSPJ), where the Sikh community had sprung into action after they received SOS messages past midnight, 19 December. In fact, they were so quick that some 5,000 free hot meal boxes were already sent out around 2pm. It was around that time that a GSPJ representative reached out to SAYS, asking if we could help spread the word about the flood relief work being organised there so that they could serve more flood-affected victims. As I reached there, I was shown how attendees — who had gathered at the gurdwara for a religious camp — were busy preparing and packing food boxes as the turbaned man was hard at work in the kitchen. Which is when I snapped a photo of him and posted it on Twitter, not realising it will soon inspire thousands of Malaysians — regardless of their race and religion — to volunteer at the gurdwara. The tweet spread like wildfire, thanks to some of the prominent handles and social news sites boosting it across social media. By the end of the day, it had already been retweeted more than 14,000 times. Under the tweet, people started asking "how can we help?" and "is there a fund where we can donate?" while expressing their immense gratitude towards the turbaned man for his Seva (selfless service). The photo had prompted an outpouring of emotions from Malaysians, who soon took to calling him 'uncle'. Soon, I started getting queries from people about him, who he is, his health, and if he is getting enough rest. They were concerned for him. The next morning, I went over to the gurdwara to join thousands of volunteers who had come from all over the Klang Valley to help in the flood relief work that would see over 100,000 food boxes being sent out. I was also hoping to talk to the man, who had become a sensation on social media and beyond. However, it didn't go exactly as I had hoped. I was told he doesn't like talking about himself and that he prefers to do Seva from behind the scene. So I dropped my plans to talk to him but insisted on his name so at least people know who the man was. "Malkith Singh," one of the members of the GSPJ management told me in a matter-of-fact tone. The next morning, I shared more photos of him in the kitchen, this time with his name. Within minutes, people started showering their affection on him. Some called him more efficient than the entire Malaysian government, some called him a national treasure that must be protected at all cost, while others promised to forever remember and honour his contributions. There were also those who took inspiration from the photos and drew artworks of him. Image via @atikah_rostam (Twitter) and @FatinAziz__ (Twitter) Seeing how photos of him in the kitchen were inspiring Malaysians, both young and old alike, I decided to share the reactions with the man himself, hoping it would convince him to change his mind. It took some time, but he finally agreed to talk to me while insisting on not publicising his face. Prior to that, I think what also helped was that I had been in the kitchen with him, helping with the cooking. It allowed him to open up to me and as he let me shadow him around the kitchen so I could take more photos and later on Friday evening, 24 December, he would sit down with him over a cup of chai. A Sikh by blood, Malkith Singh is a Malaysian by birth He was born in 1957 in Taiping, Perak. According to Malkith Singh, he first started cooking at the Gurdwara Sahib Taiping in 1974. At the time, he was only 17. "I feel Seva is best done through cooking," he said, adding that he has practically cooked in all the gurdwaras across the country, with his longest service being at the Gurdwara Sahib Titiwangsa. "I go whenever anybody calls me. Cooking is one of my passions," he shared with me. Malkith Singh with his friend during the interview with this SAYS writer. Image via Sadho/SAYS A part-time clerical worker at a private legal firm here, the 64-year-old has two kids, a son and a daughter, who is a deputy public prosecutor Malkith's full-time thing, however, is being a Malaysian superhero. You see, he doesn't just cook food at langars in gurdwaras. He helps provide shelter to families by building their houses through contributions from the Sikh and other communities, he delivers donated rations to people who cannot afford to buy anything, he makes sure the vulnerable don't go to bed hungry, and he has been doing this for over four decades by being true to the concept of Seva — selfless service without any expectation of result or award for the deeds performed. Malkith told me that he doesn't see anybody's race or religion. "Be it Malay, Chinese, or Indian, I try to help everyone as much as I can," he said, adding that his son assists him in doing so through their Persatuan Sikhinside Malaysia (SikhInside) group. According to Malkith, in March 2020, they also started cooking for people who were the worst hit by the movement control order (MCO), the Malaysian government's lockdown measures to curb COVID-19. Image via Sadho/SAYS Speaking about the massive crowd of volunteers at the GSPJ, Malkith shared that this is the first time he has seen this many non-Sikhs inside a gurdwara as it's mostly just the Sikhs or a few Indians who come "Something that has amazed me is the non-Sikhs coming. Because we have always been dealing with the Sikhs only, and we usually deal with non-Sikhs is when we are giving out rations," he said. "But never like this," he shared, referring to how different races have come together to volunteer there. And Malkith considers this an extremely beautiful 'confluence'. According to him, it has always been tough to get the Malay community to show up at the gurdwaras. But seeing how a major portion of the crowd coming into the GSPJ compound consisted of Malays, the management created a separate room upstairs for them to offer their prayers. Still, there were many Malays who were unsure if they could just drop by to help. I personally received dozens of private messages, asking me if it's okay for them to come. However, the volunteering work at the GSPJ hasn't been without its share of religious controversy with many doubting if the food was halal To put such doubts among Muslims to rest, former religious affairs minister Datuk Seri Dr Zulkilfi Mohamad Al-Bakri paid a visit to the gurdwara on 22 December and even helped Malkith in the kitchen. Zulkilfi also assured the Malays that eating food from non-Muslims who are not "People of the Book" is permissible as long as it does not involve their slaughtered animals. The former Federal Territories Mufti said that he knew the Sikh religion through the concept of Seva. He described the GSPJ kitchen setup as very clean and tidy, adding that he was impressed to see the management of the aid distribution system which involved various religions and races. Meanwhile, for those concerned about Malkith's health, he shared that seeing the youngsters coming there to help, he feels more motivated Malkith, who has been coming over to the gurdwara kitchen at 6am daily from Sentul, told me that he really feels inspired by the energy of all the youths inside the compound. "I feel happy seeing them, and I just want to cook for everybody. Please tell everybody who are concerned for me that doing Seva through cooking is something I'm really passionate about." Malkith Singh in the kitchen on Friday, 24 December, as he let me shadow him around. Image via Sadho/SAYS
  3. So I've been thinking of trading in my car and getting a van. And I had been thinking about setting it up to cook at serve Guru Ka Langar and just serve it wherever the hungry people are so they don't have to come to the Gurudwara unshowered and embarassed and all that. And I heard an advertisement for Uber eats, while I was thinking about said van. And a lot of people make a living doing various platforms like that. Then it hit me. What if you drove the van around doing Uber eats or whatever to fund the Langar? Even a few deliveries would pay gas and buy a substantial amount of Dhal and things that could be cooked right in the van even. Doesn't even impact your living wage. And even the paid part of it is serving hungry people during covid.
  4. Why are there so many scary bossy dominating middle aged women fiercely guarding the kitchens in langar halls? Some of them look really ferocious and look like they can growl and breath fire out from their nostrils! Something needs to be done about this bullying and intimidating behaviour!! I once had one slam a cup of chaa at me years ago! I'm never gnna forget that or that woman's face! Everytime I see her I remember that incident.
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/dining/free-food-sikh-gundwara-langar.html
  6. I saw a news piece today of well meaning Sikhs providing free langar/aid/shopping to people in southall and slough. Every time i hear of charity and religious groups helping people its always the Sikhs or Christians very rarely I'll see muslims, hindus and buddhists helping non-believers of their faith. Buddhists I don't hear ever doing anything for non-buddhists yet they command a religious following of 500 million+ believers in their ideology. They have 3-4 countries to their name also and generally have a better representation and PR than Sikhs. Afghan sikhs have long complained of persecution from local muslims and jihadi terrorists but most world governments drag their feet in helping them by not giving them urgent immediate refuge instead many in the past have had to risk their lives illegally traveling in shipping containers where a few died few years ago. Surely Sikhs are missing something here? It seems to me no matter how much our people do for charity for non-believers that will all be forgotten as soon as anything negative comes up. There needs to be a trade off. If a non-believer gets langar they must do something for Sikhs or Sikhi even if its just free sewa like wash the dishes. I was humbled when I saw an irish non-sikh guy who had an homelessness and alcoholic problem who used to come to my local gurdwara to get langer but in return as a give back to the community he used to wash the dishes. That guy has passed away now but it shows how much he appreciated and grateful to Sikhs and how Sikhs appreciated him in return. We need a something for something culture brought back not something for nothing as we all known when something is free it is not valued as its considered like air or water. When theres value to something people appreciate it alot more this is how human beings are and we need to wake up to that fact.
  7. Which groups actively help the widows and mothers of shaheed? Which groups currently provide for the Paanth?
  8. Coronavirus. What do we know ? We know the rest of the world is trying to prevent any of it's citizens getting it whereas the UK is actively trying to ensure at least 50% of it's citizens get it. From a purely selfish point of view I'd like to try and keep myself and family safe as per the advice in the rest of the world but from a purely scientific point of view there is great merit in the UK strategy. The answer - long term - is to create an immunity from the virus and the only way to ensure that is to create a herd immunity among the population. That will only come once enough of the population get it. This is actually good science and, reluctantly, I actually applaud the UK Tory govenment's stance against popular opinion. Not that it's stopping me keeping my kids home from school though. A man has to make his own decision about what's best for his own family. But, when the worst is over and we're back to 'normal' will things ever be 'normal' again ? No. They won't. There will be a new 'normal'. That's what events in history are about. Things happen - we learn from them - and things become different. After the worst of the coronavirus is over we know things are not going to be as they were before. The wearing of surgical masks will remain common. Skin-like gloves will become more common and advanced. The handshake will be the preserve of the older generation whereas the elbow tap will be the most common greeting among the young. And what of communal public eating ? The Langar. We know things are going to change. They are going to have to because public attitudes among Sikhs about what is and is not acceptable from a hygeine point of view will change. But, tell me, what in your opinion will those changes in the concept of langar be ?
  9. Have Gurdwara langar halls become soup kitchens for homeless? I have noticed many roughed up people comming to the gurdwara. Many dont look particularly friendly . Ie I saw some Arabic guy once and also quite a few blacks in southall. Now I know Langar is meant for all regardless of their background.. But many of these guys look like they could do with a wash and some may have been intoxicated with alcohol and drugs. There is one particular white guy that looks completely out of it. Comes to Gurdwara has langar then just hangs around in the langar hall for about 30 minutes making everyone uncomfortable.
  10. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh Given that purataan maryada for langar was to never use pattian/gobar as a fuel only wood and kindling from cotton etc , we excused natural gas as it was from 'clean' source i.e. drilled . How does Biogas produced from rotting food fare in this maryada setting ? as SGPC have announced using biogas plants installed at ten gurdwarey .That actually mean rotting food will be delivered and handled at the plants for gas production for langar ON SITE of Gurdwara...is this not beadbhi of Guru ji's darbar with bad smells whilst trumpetting eco -scheme ?
  11. Please support, share and spread the news about this Punjab specific uprala , Thanks
  12. Firstly, I think British school food should be neutral without any sacred food being served. Also please consider this topic for other countries which may have this issue, possibly Australia? Obviously this isn't a solution for schools in islamic countries! However, as we know, some schools are forcing Halal meat. So why don't we do a positive spin on this? Since some schools are forcing sacred food from one religion onto students. Then why not demand langar in these schools as sikhs require their own sacred food in cases where neutral food is not available? We should seriously ask for this demand, as sacred food should not only be available for one minority. Would be good if there was some kind of SACRED FOOD ACT / LAW or AGREEMENT. And since langar should not be commercial, it should be served by a sikh volunteer and should also be free, obviously open to donations. I think organisations like SWAT already have the infrastructure in place for serving langar in public. Would local gurdwaras be able to help and provide langar and volunteers for this? The positive thing about this is that concept of langar gets out more in public, and educates young learning minds about sikhi traditions and community kitchens. And obviously anyone can partake of langar as it's free. CAN WE HAVE SOMETHING TEMPORARY IN PLACE before the start of the NEW ACADEMIC YEAR in SEPTEMBER 2018? How can we get this out there? Obviously I am only talking about vegetarian langar, I will post more options on forums which are more sangat orientated and more panthic.
  13. Why are we allowing GOI to dictate how to keep cleanliness in langar , to the extent that sewadars have to attend classes, have GOI inspection of our Langars and then have Guru Nanak Dev ji's langar relabelled as part of a GOI scheme ??? add another other examples that come to mind
  14. In an effort to undermine Guru Nanak Dev ji's concept of Langar and relabelling it as a RSS yojna , the GST on Langar fiasco has hit a new twist the reprieve on Hramandir Sahib is only for two years. http://panthicspectrum.com/2018/06/08/gst-on-langar-vs-sarkari-financial-aid/ http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-gst-spares-langar-but-not-ingredients-2499321 Bascially the tax is collected then if we prove more than 5000 people are served per month then we can apply to get our money back , whether we get it yet remains to be seen . If returned it will be returned under the title Sewa Bhog Yojna and be counted as a government project not Guru ji's langar i.e. undermining the meaning of Guru ji's langar. It also means begging for the money back year on year and having to disclose gurdwara finances , sangat numbers ...a lot of worrying data to be in the hands of the enemy.
  15. Having taken my class of children to visit a local gurdwara and wishing myself to learn more about your faith, I would like to attend on a Sunday at the lovely gurdwara we visited. My question: would it be acceptable for me to contribute my own cake/dish to be shared at langar? This would be home-cooked (and with many home-grown ingredients). It would be prepared out of the respect and thanks I have for the wonderful sikh community which welcomed us so freely and lovingly, while providing such a rich educational experience to us all; adults and children alike; when we visited the gurdwara. Many thanks for reading this message and hopefully giving me guidance!
  16. AMRITSAR SAHIB – A Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) langar sewadar accidentally fell into container full of boiling water in the kitchen of the Guru Ram Das Langar Hall at Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) on Monday. The victim, Charanjit Singh, 50, of Chattiwind locality working as langari (cook) in the kitchen, received 70 percent burn injuries. While stirring ‘kheer’ on a furnace, Charanjit observed some impure particles of sugar on the surface. When he tried to take out the particles, he lost his balance and fell in the big vessal (karaha). SGPC staff and devotees in the vicinity pulled him out of the container immediately but he was scalded and suffered 70% burns. He was rushed to the SGPC-run Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital. “Charanjit’s condition is said to be critical. He is in the Intensive Care Unit. The next 24 hours are critical for him as there are chances of infection. We are making efforts to provide him the best treatment. Kirpal Singh Badungar, SGPC president, has announced free treatment for him,” said Sulakhan Singh, Manager, Darbar Sahib. FULL NEWS - http://singhstation.net/2017/07/harmandir-sahib-langar-sewadar-accidentally-falls-boiling-vessal/
  17. http://singhstation.net/2017/06/harmandir-sahib-langar-cooking-solar/ AMRITSAR SAHIB – In a bid to reduce air pollution, The SGPC has planned to switch over to solar energy at the Guru Ram Das Langar Hall (community kitchen) soon to cook langar in the world’s largest kitchen at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. At present, at Sri Guru Ramdas Langar Hall, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and wooden sticks are used as fuel for cooking langar for about 60,000 devotees on a daily basis. The number increases during weekends and special occasions. Mumbai-based Enpar Group, a private company, has volunteered to donate the solar energy system worth Rs. 1 crore to the Golden Temple through the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA).
  18. As a sewadar was distributing chaai to bibis who had come down in langar hall after doing sukhmani sahib paath , some bibis asked "feeki chaa OR is it meethi chaa" ? it was shocking . It made me feel i am sitting in restaurant . Why can't we just accept what is served in langar as "prasad" and accept it . Why so much of nakhre ? also there are some bibis who don't do anything , but only come down in the end to have tasty snacks someone from the sangat sponsored for that day . I have seen both sikhs and non-sikhs abuse the langar system in sikhism. A hindu guy uploaded a pic with head covered . People commenting "You just went to eat langar?" to which the guy replied "What else do we go for" And in other pic he uploaded a video showing various tasty eatables of modern cuisine served in langar and captioned "Gurudwara ho toh aisa" I get it gurudwara provides food to everyone, but do we have to abuse the system ? The question 20 odd bibis asked him was not whether "Are we running langar right or wrong" . It was "Feeki chaa or is it meethi chaa"
  19. I just wanted to add this short note on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The issue of multi-colored variants of a single species leads naturally to the thought, often expressed, that GMOs are not bad because humans have been genetically modifying organisms since forever, and it is through genetic modification that we got different colored carrots. Well, I vehemently disagree! In the case of colored carrots, humans are simply mixing different combinations of already existing genetic information within the carrots through selective breeding. A monster chimera can't come into existence just because of certain safeguards placed by either God or (if you don't believe in God) nature. This is much different from a genetically modified organism: A genetically modified organism, or GMO, is an organism that has had its DNA altered or modified in some way through genetic engineering. In most cases, GMOs have been altered with DNA from another organism, be it a bacterium, plant, virus or animal; these organisms are sometimes referred to as "transgenic" organisms. Or, from an anti-GMO site: A GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a plant, animal, microorganism or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified using recombinant DNA methods (also called gene splicing), gene modification or transgenic technology. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Visit the What is GMO page for more information and a list of high-risk crops. https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/ Now, the reason I mention all of this, is because as Sikhs, we should naturally be concerned with what we're putting into our bodies, since it's a temple of God (Harimandir). Of course, there's nothing in Gurbani specifically addressing GMOs, but if you just take a basic proposition of Sikhism (that the world is running in accordance to Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, Hankar), then you can see that the entire impetus for GMOs is the Lobh (greed) of giant agribusinesses like Monsanto and Cargil. Most corn in the US and Canada is GMO. Then they also take it and make High-Fructose Corn Syrup out of it, which becomes the sweetener in your Coca-Cola. Something to avoid. In our homeland, most bangan (eggplant) is GMO--referred to as "BT Bangan" (BT for bio-technology). Please avoid to whatever extent possible, and definitely not suitable for Guru's Langar.
  20. Hi guys, I'm going to India later this month, and would really like to go to a Gurudwara and have langar. I've got a few questions though. I know that it is meant for needy people that cannot afford a meal. I'm a western man and could afford to pay for a meal. Is it culturally insensitive for me to come along? That's the opposite of what I want to do as I thought it would be a great cultural experience. Is there somewhere that I can donate in the Gurudwara to help? Thanks for any advice, Toby
  21. Guest

    How to open up a gurdwara

    VJKK VJKF ji I have a question how can i open up a new gurdwara in the uk? Where can i buy a bir of the guru in the uk or do i have to get it from india ? And do i have to talk to a sikh council or something? And how much do small gurdwaras usually earn can they afford the bills?
  22. Are Gurdwaras all hygenic in terms of Langar food preperation? ie are there inspectors who check that high standards are kept? Such as hand washing ect and cleansiness.
  23. News Alert: Sikh community distributing Langar and helping rescue victims of the flooding in Chennai. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153151758107791&id=240716567790
  24. Howdy folks. Some of you may have read I work with quite a few Punjabi Sikhs which is fine. Today the ladies all clubbed together and produced a whole load of food for charity, the cause being the Nepalese earthquake. Very touching sentiments and very community spirited. What I really want to say is out of all religions the langar is a real winner. There is nothing like food to bring people together and create a good atmosphere. Brilliant idea and nice to see the tradition is still very much alive and kicking. It's one of the best things in the world. Incidentally how important is speaking Punjabi to Sikh people? Does the language have words and expressions that just cannot be found in English? All the women speak good English but when together prefer to speak in this tongue. Why is this? Many thanks.
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