Approximately 1000 people turned up for the 7th Sikh Children’s Day last weekend. The event organised by Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand on October 1 and 2, was held at Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib in Takanini.
The celebration also hosted a competition where children participated under different categories such as kirtan, kavishree, gatka, gurbani, quiz, essay writing, Sikh art and sports.
“The concept of this competition is to engage the children in knowing more about the religion, learn the gurbani (hymns from the holy book) by heart, explore their minds into ethnic arts and writing,” said Daljit Singh, organiser of the event.
The competition had 460 participants who were not only from Auckland but some had also travelled from as far as Hastings, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Christchurch. The winners were awarded trophies, and every child at the event was given a school bag with goodies, sweets, water bottles, and stationeries sponsored by the Gurudwara.
“My 4-year-old daughter Japnaam Kaur came third in gurbani competition, I couldn’t be more proud of her,” said the parent of one of the participants.
The event had other attractions for various interest groups, which included various performances, workshops, health stalls to make people aware of diabetes and high blood pressure, bouncing castles, face painting, fast food stalls etc.
Like every year, there was a stall hosted by NZ Police with 12 policemen interacting with children and educating them more on safety practices one should follow. The policemen offered small uniforms to the children to wear and pose for a picture with them.
The event is held every year to bring the community together, educate the children of the rich heritage of the Sikhism and get them more connected to the Gurudwara.
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