Jat stir: Sikh volunteers run 24-hour langar for stranded

As thousands of people were left stranded on the Delhi-Ambala national highway (NH1) by road blockades put by Jat protesters for two days, city residents responded with overwhelming generosity, offering them food and shelter.

As thousands of people were left stranded on the Delhi-Ambala national highway (NH1) by road blockades put by Jat protesters for two days, city residents responded with overwhelming generosity, offering them food and shelter.

People walking during a blockade by Jat protesters at Ladsoli village in Sonepat district on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

But an impromptu gesture by dozens of teams of Sikh volunteers who ran a round-the-clock community kitchen (langar) stood out.

Sikh youth carted free snacks, cooked rice and hot tea in copious quantities to feed stranded travellers, including a team of HT journalists .“San uta an sang at and is eva da chauv hai ji (we derive pleasure out of serving humanity),” gurdwara head Baba Joga Singh said, adding that people of all ages, castes and religions were welcome.

The gurdwara volunteers laughed away questions on the quantity of food and other eatables used in the langar over the past two days. “We have been offering round-the-clock langar in the memory of Mata Sahib Dev Kaur here for three decades and our volunteers come in large numbers whenever such situations arise,’’ the gurdwara head said.

Several businessmen distributed free blankets to people, especially drivers and bus passengers, said Subhash Bathla, a prominent industrialist in the handloom town.