In a bid to spread awareness about Sikhs in Thailand, a city-based hotelier, Harjinder Singh Kukreja, organised a langar with a Thai menu at a railway station in Bangkok. The response was overwhelming as thousands of homeless and needy got their takeaways from Kukreja.
The Sikh population in Thailand is between 60,000 and 1 lakh. Kukreja and his volunteers served a proper Thai meal as part of their weekly ‘sewa’. The langar was organised at Hualamphong, a major railway station in Bangkok.
Kukreja says, “This has been going on for the past two years now, but this time I organised everything and ensured a vast menu which also included ice cream.”
“The Sikh tradition is to make an announcement when the langar is ready. I was delighted to see a senior official at the railway station, Pavin, making the announcement in Thai. He praised Sikhs and urged those who were eating to be grateful,” he adds.
This group of Thai Sikhs have provided food to immigrants stuck in Thailand, waiting to go home.
Most require proper documentation for the past 10 years. He further says, “It is a treat to the ears when Sikhs speak flawless Thai there; some of them better than the natives. It shows the integration of Sikhs into Thai society. A Sikh scholar, S Dildar Singh, has even translated Sukhmani Sahib in Thai.”
{{/usCountry}}Most require proper documentation for the past 10 years. He further says, “It is a treat to the ears when Sikhs speak flawless Thai there; some of them better than the natives. It shows the integration of Sikhs into Thai society. A Sikh scholar, S Dildar Singh, has even translated Sukhmani Sahib in Thai.”
{{/usCountry}}The langar was organised keeping with the legacy of philanthropic activities by Sikhs.
This is evident in the fact that over the years, langars and arrangements such as safe shelter and free cabs, were organised by Sikhs in France, UK and Belgium after multiple terror strikes.