A special feature on "Langar Sewa" done by Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib in Indian Express 14th July 2020
The COVID-19
Pandemic has brought unprecedented life and livelihood challenges in
almost every corner of the world.
Langar is one such practice based on the
principle of inclusion and unity in the religious sphere that helps everyone
and anyone in times of hunger.
The
exceptional role of civil society, NGOs and religious organisations during
these challenging times has become a fine example of what we can call a moral
economy — relations that are sustained over time following a moral principle.
One such institution is the practice of Guru Ka Langar in gurdwaras all over
the globe.
In Delhi, since the start
of the COVID-19 lockdown, one lakh meals have been cooked every day at the
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib alone, with the sevadars working 18-hour shifts. This
helped in feeding the migrant workers who were rendered jobless in the early
days of the lockdown. Recently, the gurdwara has also started an initiative
called “Meals on Wheels Langar” to take food to the remote corners of the city.
As a gesture of appreciation of the gurdwara’s role during the crisis, the
Delhi Police performed a parikrama of Bangla Sahib.
A recent
New York Times article has highlighted the American experience of langar,
highlighting both how Sikhs ran kitchens to help the COVID-19-affected as well
as how they have fed the protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement. The
article notes that people often get surprised when they are offered food for
free. Indeed, the dimensions and spectacle of this large-scale consumption,
which is outside the exchange economy, have surprised many people even when one
is not in the midst of extraordinary events.
One
example among many is the TV show, John Torode’s Asia, where we see the host
being visibly moved by the langar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This
emotion endorses the understanding that this Sikh practice is something
exceptional.
The
challenges posed by the pandemic have exposed many fault lines in our society.
The negligence of healthcare and lack of adequate social safety nets have made
millions of people vulnerable. In such times, the institution of langar, based
on the Guru’s philosophy of equality and progressiveness, provides a glimmer of
hope that strong institutions whether they are created in the societal,
economic, or religious sphere can stand any storm.
Langar is one such practice
based on the principle of inclusion and unity in the religious sphere that
helps everyone and anyone in times of hunger. The choice is for mankind whether
it creates institutions that divide and carve out exclusionary spaces or builds
strong and protean institutions, like the practice of langar, that bring the
human race together in trying times without any discrimination.
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