Aucklanders celebrate Vaisakhi with esteem devoutness

More than two thousand men, women and children gathered at the Vaisakhi celebrations on Saturday, April 8, in Auckland. The annual event was organised by Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand, which looks after the Otahuhu Gurudwara and Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Gurudwara in Takanini.

Vaisakhi is one of the most important events in the calendar of the Sikh community as it commemorates the establishment of Khalsa or the Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. This day has an enormous significance in the lives of the farmers as it is the time for them to harvest the months of toil in the field.

Every year Vaisakhi is celebrated with immense enthusiasm and grandeur by the Sikh community in New Zealand, especially in Auckland, Hastings and Tauranga. The day comprises of saying prayers, singing hymns and thousands join the parade called nagar kirtan.

“We did our first nagar kirtan in the year 1996, and since then have always been successful in getting the masses be a part of this great tradition for the last 22 years,” Daljit Singh, a member of Supreme Sikh Society said.

The celebrations commenced at 10 a.m. with a kirtan (chanting of hymns) by Kuldip Singh Kanpuri. This was followed by another kirtan by Harnam Singh Sri Nagar and a Katha by Singh Sahib Giani, a Granthi from the Golden Temple in Amritsar who travelled to New Zealand for the celebration.

The nagar kirtan started at 12.30 p.m. from Otahuhu Gurudwara on Princess Street with children clad in blue, white and saffron uniforms, Khalsa badges on their turbans and holding modular wooden sticks, spears and swords. The children performed Gatka - a traditional form of combat training on the streets, while the parade moved towards the Otahuhu shopping mall.

An open trailer decorated with flowers and items paraded alongside the devotees on the Otahuhu streets. The trailer carried the holy book of the Sikh community Sri Guru Granth Sahib along with the priest of the Gurudwara and many senior members of the community.

Devotees from places as far as Pukekohe, Hastings, Hamilton, and Tauranga had also come to the grand Vaisakhi celebrations in Otahuhu.

“The event is not just a celebration but something to leave behind for the coming generations. We need to educate our next generation of children the importance of this festival so that the culture remains alive in their hearts,” Mr Singh added.