Young Sikh immigrants keep up the tradition
It all started with a group of five students who strived to stay connected with their culture, traditions, and roots in a land far from their own. Now, those students are working professionals but their intentions remain the same.
A group of Kiwi-Indians have been organising three-day akhand paath (continuous recitation of the sacred text from Guru Granth Sahib) every year for the past eight years. This year, too, they held it from January 20 to 22 at Gurudwara Shri Kalgidhar Sahib, Takanini.
“We used to visit gurudwara every Sunday and every now and then heard that someone sponsored or organised an akhand paath or langar (free food) at the gurudwara sahib, ” Sunpreet Kaur, who has been a part of the group since 2010, told Indian Weekender.
“We also wanted to do something like that so we approached the committee members who told us that it costs about $3000–$3500 for an akhand paath that goes on for three days. We were students and didn’t have that much money. So we asked a few more friends who agreed to be a part of this initiative.”
With the intention to do good to the community, these five students—Mandeep Singh, Sunpreet Kaur, Baljinder Singh, Tarunjeev Singh, and Sarvjeet Singh (who now lives in Canada)—contributed and collected enough money to organise the first paath in 2010.
“When they do ardaas, they call out the name of the donor and pray to god for their well-being. We wanted to do this for all the students living in New Zealand. So we always used to ask them to consider it as a contribution from all the students and pray for the success and happiness of all of them.
“Now when none of us is a student anymore, we pray for everyone—sarbat da bhalaa—as our gurus taught us,” Sunpreet adds.
With time, more students joined the group. Currently, there are 11 members who contribute every year for this cause. The current group members include Jagpal Singh, Gursimran Singh, Gagandeep Kaur, Jimmy, Amrit Singh, Amninder Singh, and Swastika Naicker apart from the original five.
All members are Sikhs or Punjabis except for Swastika who hails from Fiji.
“She is a colleague of one of our friends and visited the gurudwara with him. She liked what we do and wanted to be a part of this,” Sunpreet says. “The feeling of feeding so many people gives you a great pleasure and you feel content. Like us, she also found it inspiring and hence joined us.”
During the three days of the paath, about 1,000 people visit the Sikh temple. The organisers of the akhand path also sponsor the three-day meals for the visitors.
“Now that we all are working, some of us have moved out of Auckland. But whenever this time of the year comes, we get together here,” Supreet said. “Some of us take [a] holiday from their work to do sewa (serve) at the gurudwara. The paath starts at 8 a.m. in the morning.
“Some of us go to the free market early in the morning to buy fresh vegetables and fruits every day. Some take the responsibility of buying other groceries required during the three days. And the rest go to the gurudwara for preparations.”
The group prepares food, snacks, and tea for the visitors with the help of the main cook. They help in the bulk preparation of the meal provided to the visitors during the three-day period, which includes preparing meals for the dozens of students who visit the Sikh temple for Punjabi and culture classes that are held every Saturday at the temple.
“We all have a great time there. We enjoy every moment while doing sewa. These three days are the best days of the entire year because we all get together for such a great cause. I think the feeling of being given an opportunity to contribute towards and serve the humanity is greater than any other feeling in the world,” Sunpreet added.
Although their family might be miles away, the group found a family among the friends they have made at the gurudwara. They have already planned and booked the paath for the next few years. They plan their holidays in advance for these three days—mostly in the third week of the January—which has now become an important part of their yearly calendar. They contribute whatever amount of money they can and donate it to the temple.
More power to these young men and women and to all those who want to do their bit in making this world a better place.
It all started with a group of five students who strived to stay connected with their culture, traditions, and roots in a land far from their own. Now, those students are working professionals but their intentions remain the same.
A group of Kiwi-Indians have been organising three-day akhand paath...
It all started with a group of five students who strived to stay connected with their culture, traditions, and roots in a land far from their own. Now, those students are working professionals but their intentions remain the same.
A group of Kiwi-Indians have been organising three-day akhand paath (continuous recitation of the sacred text from Guru Granth Sahib) every year for the past eight years. This year, too, they held it from January 20 to 22 at Gurudwara Shri Kalgidhar Sahib, Takanini.
“We used to visit gurudwara every Sunday and every now and then heard that someone sponsored or organised an akhand paath or langar (free food) at the gurudwara sahib, ” Sunpreet Kaur, who has been a part of the group since 2010, told Indian Weekender.
“We also wanted to do something like that so we approached the committee members who told us that it costs about $3000–$3500 for an akhand paath that goes on for three days. We were students and didn’t have that much money. So we asked a few more friends who agreed to be a part of this initiative.”
With the intention to do good to the community, these five students—Mandeep Singh, Sunpreet Kaur, Baljinder Singh, Tarunjeev Singh, and Sarvjeet Singh (who now lives in Canada)—contributed and collected enough money to organise the first paath in 2010.
“When they do ardaas, they call out the name of the donor and pray to god for their well-being. We wanted to do this for all the students living in New Zealand. So we always used to ask them to consider it as a contribution from all the students and pray for the success and happiness of all of them.
“Now when none of us is a student anymore, we pray for everyone—sarbat da bhalaa—as our gurus taught us,” Sunpreet adds.
With time, more students joined the group. Currently, there are 11 members who contribute every year for this cause. The current group members include Jagpal Singh, Gursimran Singh, Gagandeep Kaur, Jimmy, Amrit Singh, Amninder Singh, and Swastika Naicker apart from the original five.
All members are Sikhs or Punjabis except for Swastika who hails from Fiji.
“She is a colleague of one of our friends and visited the gurudwara with him. She liked what we do and wanted to be a part of this,” Sunpreet says. “The feeling of feeding so many people gives you a great pleasure and you feel content. Like us, she also found it inspiring and hence joined us.”
During the three days of the paath, about 1,000 people visit the Sikh temple. The organisers of the akhand path also sponsor the three-day meals for the visitors.
“Now that we all are working, some of us have moved out of Auckland. But whenever this time of the year comes, we get together here,” Supreet said. “Some of us take [a] holiday from their work to do sewa (serve) at the gurudwara. The paath starts at 8 a.m. in the morning.
“Some of us go to the free market early in the morning to buy fresh vegetables and fruits every day. Some take the responsibility of buying other groceries required during the three days. And the rest go to the gurudwara for preparations.”
The group prepares food, snacks, and tea for the visitors with the help of the main cook. They help in the bulk preparation of the meal provided to the visitors during the three-day period, which includes preparing meals for the dozens of students who visit the Sikh temple for Punjabi and culture classes that are held every Saturday at the temple.
“We all have a great time there. We enjoy every moment while doing sewa. These three days are the best days of the entire year because we all get together for such a great cause. I think the feeling of being given an opportunity to contribute towards and serve the humanity is greater than any other feeling in the world,” Sunpreet added.
Although their family might be miles away, the group found a family among the friends they have made at the gurudwara. They have already planned and booked the paath for the next few years. They plan their holidays in advance for these three days—mostly in the third week of the January—which has now become an important part of their yearly calendar. They contribute whatever amount of money they can and donate it to the temple.
More power to these young men and women and to all those who want to do their bit in making this world a better place.
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