Kirtan, katha and langar marked Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations in Calcutta on Monday.
In keeping with Guru Nanak’s teachings, the differences of religion were blurred in the gatherings. People from all faiths and different walks of life broke bread together.
The biggest gathering was on the Maidan around Shahid Minar, where the celebrations started with katha and kirtan — musical recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred book of the Sikh faith — since Monday morning.
The langar was a spectacle to behold. More than 1,000 people sat together to eat in one batch. The aroma of dal, subzi and halwa filled up the Maidan air.
Monday was a public holiday. The roads were not as crowded as they are on a usual Monday. But even then, many people who happened to pass by the Maidan dropped in for a quick meal.
“I try to come here every year with my family. We could not come in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. But since last year, we have been coming again,” said Saheb Ghosh, a businessman from Garcha, who came to Shahid Minar
with his wife and seven-year-old son.
“People from all communities are breaking bread together, celebrating Guru Nanak’s message of universal
brotherhood,” said Inderjit Singh Sekhon, general secretary of Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Calcutta, the main organiser of the programme at Shahid Minar.
The Sabha has representations from all gurdwaras in and around the city.
“Guru Nanak is not just the guru of Sikhs. He is the guru of everyone,” said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, general-secretary of Gurdwara Behala, chairman of the IHA Foundation and one of the organisers of the Maidan celebrations.
“The convergence of different communities is a testament to the inclusive ethos of Bengal, where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated,” said Ahluwalia, a member of the state minorities commission.
At Gurdwara Sant Kutiya on Harish Mukherjee Road, people from all faiths kept dropping by since morning. A delegation from the Golden Temple in Amritsar led the kirtan. A dhadi jatha (a band of singers) from Punjab was one of the highlights.
At the Dunlop gurdwara, the katha and kirtan were followed by the langar which continued into the night. Many non-Sikh locals joined hands to serve the langar while many more ate it.
“A majority of the people who come to the langar are from other communities,” said Inderprit Singh, vice-president of the Dunlop gurdwara.