With COVID well behind us, Mehtab East Indian Cuisine has resumed hosting a small gathering to celebrate Vaisakhi on April 13 and share its significance to Sikhs around the world.
Vaisakhi is both a harvest festival and a spiritual celebration that marks Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s creation of the Khalsa in 1699. It symbolizes justice, equality and renewal, and celebrates the integration of the spiritual and temporal worlds.
Jag Thind, of Mehtab, says it’s an important time in India.
“In India, it’s the day farmers start harvesting their crops. Bringing the community together is always important, and that’s why, for example, gurdwaras have four doors—to welcome every single person. It doesn’t matter their faith, they’re all welcome. We try to bring people together and celebrate it together.”
Mehtab invited people of many different faiths and walks of life to share a little over an hour together. It’s a tradition they began in 2014, which was interrupted by the pandemic—until now.
Dr. Michael Hawley, an associate professor at Mount Royal University specializing in religious studies, returned as the guest speaker. Sikhs and Sikhism are among his areas of academic research.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside of India, with approximately 800,000 Sikhs residing in the country, representing roughly 2 per cent of the country's overall population.
"These community-based events, I think, are so worthwhile because it's a chance for people who may not know one another to sit down, share something to eat and learn something a bit new," says Dr. Hawley. "It's probably one of the most effective ways to break down barriers and create a little bit more understanding across different cultures and different groups."
His presentation was concise but insightful.
"It doesn't have to be a three-hour lecture. It can be a little 20-minute snippert to allow you to get a little bit of flavour, a little bit of a visual that may pique your curiosity to ask more questions and take a closer look."
Sikhism is based upon five key principles.
- Naam Japna: Remembering the Divine Name
- Kirat Karni: Earning an Honest Living
- Vand Chakna: Sharing with Others
- Sewa: Selfless Service
- Ik Onkar: Unity in Diversity