11 Countries Get a Taste of Langar Week

Editor's note: Sikh Press Association organized a campaign to highlight langar. 'Hello Langar, Goodbye World Hunger' #LangarWeek started in England and has spread all over the world. Below is an article from Times of India, one of many news agencies that has reported on the event:

Even as food has become a communally divisive subject in India, Sikhs around the world have used it as a unifying agent in their observance of International Langar Week, from October 5 to 11. Langar - the Sikh practice of serving free food to all visitors of a gurdwara irrespective of caste or colour - was taken to 46 locations in 11 countries in a global community-building exercise. It is estimated that ordinarily at langar six million meals are distributed every day around the world.

The concept of International Langar Week, initiated by the Sikh Press Association (SikhPA) in London, was taken up by several Sikh organizations, including Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which organized langars to promote the values of service and brotherhood.

On Friday, students and staff of National University of Singapore were treated to a communal meal. Rows of carpets were laid out on campus, and people from all ethnicities sat down to dal-chawal and rotis, served with the local rose-flavoured milk drink, bandung. Sandhya Deep Kaur, a law graduate, had helped organize the langar along with her friends, most of them of Punjabi origin. "There is racial harmony in Singapore and an openness to different religious traditions. We got a very encouraging response to the langar," says Sandhya. Next in line is a langar at Singapore's Singh Sabha, where non-Sikhs, especially children, have been invited to participate in the preparation of the meal.

Elsewhere locals in London, California and New York did not just partake in langars in their area but also volunteered in seva. "As the word spread, we had English locals approaching us with donations. Many of our Sikh volunteers shared stories of strangers walking up to them to appreciate the concept as a solution to food scarcity," says Rupinder Kaur Virdee, the London-based press director of Sikh Press Association.

Langar's customary format is changing in other ways as well. The platter has adapted to the tastes of the young. When the group, Basics of Sikhi, organized a langar at Delhi University, students were served hot vegetarian soybean 'chaamp' straight from a restaurant. "Likewise, at langars held for corporate employees in the national capital, fruit juices were served. The attempt was to take langar out of the gurdwara to people of all communities," says Opinder Preet Singh Khalsa, a key member of the organizing team.

Anne, a French national living in Chandigarh says, "Sikhism and langar, in particular, have given me immense peace and I have been attending all langars held in Chandigarh. It is a great thing to sit and have food with someone you don't know. Besides, people from different communities cook and serve food."

All these efforts combined to make Langar Week a hit on social media, with even European volunteers posting pictures on Twitter and Facebook. Jasjit Singh of Basics of Sikhi in Amritsar said a high point of the campaign was the inter-faith lunch organized at Jama Masjid on Thursday, with Sikhs and Muslims having food side by side. He says it was overwhelming to see lines of religion blur and economic prejudices shatter along the food mile.

Editor's note: Click below for more news on Langar Week:

Sikh Volunteers hand out free food in Ilford for Langar Week

All-faith langar at Jama Masjid (organized by Basics of Sikhi volunteers in Amritsar)

Plymouth's homeless have a taste of Sikh cuisine

Canadian Sikh group organises langar to promote equality

Southampton Sikhs to hand out meals for Langar week

Watch this great video about what a wonderful institution Langar is:

Below is the original information packet from Sikh Press Association:


HELLO LANGAR, GOODBYE WORLD HUNGER LANGAR WEEK GOES INTERNATIONAL 5-11 OCTOBER 2015
THREE PRINCIPLES OF SIKH LANGAR (1) Fighting Hunger Sikhs believe that no one should be hungry and langar is intrinsic to the Sikh faith and lifestyle. It provides a daily lifeline for many people around the world, regardless if you're Sikh or not. Approximately six million meals are served daily just in Gurdwaras alone. This does not include meals that are provided by Sikh organisations and volunteers outside of Gurdwaras. (2) Equality in Action Started by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, (the first Sikh Guru) over 500 years ago, langar was designed to break down barriers and teach equality amongst all, something it is still doing to this day. The inclusivity of langar mean that stigmas attached to foodbanks don't apply. Young and old, rich and poor, Sikh and non-Sikh all share the same vegetarian food, in the same place, all seated at the same level. No one knows about your background and therefore you are not judged but accepted as equals.
14TH SEPTEMBER 2015, LONDON, UK - Last year, our inaugural year was a huge success with over 30 events across the UK, support from the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband. This year Langar Week is international and will take place between the 5th -11th October, with events taking place in multiple cities across India, USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. WHAT IS LANGAR WEEK? Langar Week aims to highlight the uniquely Sikh concept of langar (rhymes with Hunger), i.e., free food for all. regardless of faith, gender, age or status. Although langar runs in most Gurdwaras daily, Langar Week was set up to make the wider non-Sikh community aware of the fact that Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) are places to go for free food for anyone, with no expectations or stigmas attached. WHY SHOULD THE WORLD KNOW ABOUT LANGAR? The latest United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report estimates that around 795 million are undernourished in the world today. According to the World Food Programme that means one in nine people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one risk to health worldwide — greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined*.		(3) Teaching Compassion Langars are all run on donations of food, money and time. Anyone can volunteer to cook, clean or distribute langar. This is seva (selfless service) and it teaches us the joy of sharing with others and have empathy with those less fortunate. We learn to be compassionate beings that enjoy helping others. WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING LANGAR WEEK? Sikhs will be inviting different community groups to join them for langar in Gurdwaras, as well as joining the different organisations that take to the streets to offer free meals to those in need. Sikhs will also be setting up their own langars in public places in order to educate people on this unique concept. Jagraj Singh of the Sikh Press Association explains, "No one in the world should be hungry. There’s enough food for all but many people lack the compassion to share resources. The Sikh concept of langar was set up to ensure no one should be hungry. Langar Week is a time to open doors to other communities raise awareness of langar and our mission to fight world hunger, one meal at a time.”