On the occasion of Baisakhi celebrations, Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand hosted a Nagar Kirtan from the Otahuhu Gurudwara on Saturday, April 7.
About 4000 people from the Sikh community turned up for the mega event that hosts a parade on the streets of Otahuhu and conveys the message of Sikhism.
“The idea of hosting Nagar Kirtan is to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi and also convey the message of Sikhism to our ethnically diverse community members,” Daljeet Singh from the Supreme Sikh Society said.
Nagar Kirtan in India is hosted on a very large-scale with thousands of people participating in the parade and is carnival is organised for the broader community.
The Sikh community organisations in New Zealand conduct the same event throughout the year to keep the culture alive and spread it amongst the younger generation.
‘Panj Pyare’ or five volunteers who direct the entire parade in the city usually lead the parade. Otahuhu Gurudwara has three groups of ‘Panj Pyare’ one group each of teenage boys, girls and a group of men.
Community members gathered at the Otahuhu Gurudwara from 10 a.m. and participated in the kirtan held at the Gurudwara. The parade started at 1:154 p.m. from the Gurudwara going towards the Otahuhu Shopping Mall and returned back to the Gurudwara via Atkinson Avenue at 3:15 p.m.
Enroute the parade, community members performed ‘Gathka’, the Sikh martial arts on the street, while other members of the Gurudwara performed kirtan from the truck. There was a separate arrangement made for the disabled and the senior’s board on an open truck during the Nagar Kirtan.
The volunteers distributed snacks and soft drinks to the onlookers and pedestrians on the street and spoke to the people about Sikhism.
150 marshalls were appointed to look after the safety of the people in the parade and the general public during the Nagar Kirtan.
Post-event, the volunteers and the general public were invited to the langar service at the Gurudwara and participated in the kirtan.
Supreme Sikh Society plans to host another Nagar Kirtan from Takanini Gurudwara later this year.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment