In a fast polarising world, with inward-looking countries closing borders and racially motivated crimes on the rise, young Sikh students in British city Birmingham, on Thurdsay, gave out a message of hope and love – and it was delicious!
Birmingham City University (BCU) Students Union and its Sikh Society members organised a community meal or langar for about 1000 people. “It’s a blessing to organise it. We’re taking Sikh values to students and telling people who we are,” Jaspreet Singh, vice president of the BCU Sikh Society, who comes from Jalandhar in Punjab, said.
Langar is an institution gifted by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev. No matter what your religion, race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation, “you have the right to feed others, to sit together and enjoy lovely conversations with each other,” Singh said.
This is the Sikh Society’s biggest event. The first one was held last year, “it’s hard and time-consuming for a student but it’s very exciting,” society president Jassi ‘Jas’ Kaur said.
{{/usCountry}}This is the Sikh Society’s biggest event. The first one was held last year, “it’s hard and time-consuming for a student but it’s very exciting,” society president Jassi ‘Jas’ Kaur said.
{{/usCountry}}Students served traditional vegetarian food, which included daal (lentils), a carrot and potato dish, samosas, pakoras, dalia (porridge) cake and sweetened water.
British Organisation of Sikh Students helped the BSU Sikh Society organise the event. Another charity, the Midlands Langar Seva, which feeds hundreds of homeless and poor people every day, cooked the food. Birmingham City University Students’ Union also played a very key role in booking space for the event.
“It was a bit spicy, but that’s my favourite. I love spicy food,” a guest at the event said. “I am glad people have other beliefs, that they don’t try to force their beliefs on me and I don’t try and force mine on them. We can discover each other’s feelings,” he said.
Langar on Campus events are organised by Sikh students in universities all across the world, where students, staff and community members from all backgrounds come together and eat. Everyone sits on a carpet together at the same level – signifying equality – and only vegetarian food is served in order to cater for everyone, no matter what their diet is.