Guru Singh sings to an enthusiastic crowd at Peace Prayer Day as those gathered await the arrival of the Peace Flame Runners, The runners made a 21-mile journey from the Santuario de Chimayo to Singh's side on stage in temperatures that exceeded 90 degrees.
When GTS Khalsa crested the last hill at the end of his long 21-mile run, the crowd there to greet him and the torch he carried broke into applause. He and a group of other runners made the arduous journey from the Santuario de Chimayo to the foothills of the Jemez Mountains west of Espanola June 19 to raise awareness for global peace.
"It is an expression of peace," Khalsa said.
It was his 25th year making the run with the "Peace Flame."
"The flame there comes from the United Nations and from JFK's grave," he said
The run was just one part of the 25th annual Peace Prayer Day held at the Guru Ram Das Puri, a remote campground and sanctuary off 31-Mile Road that is owned by the Sikh community based in Sombrillo. The festival brought people from more than 36 countries together with the goal of opening a dialogue about how to create a more peaceful world.
"It is a celebration of world peace through an experience of different faiths," said Bhajan Kaur, chief executive officer of the 3H0 Foundation International, the Sikh-run non-profit organization that hosts the event.
"We want (visitors) to walk away feeling inspired and uplifted with a newly found experience of peace that they can share with others," Khalsa said.
This year, Peace Prayer Day offered visitors a variety of ac-tivities and entertainment includ-ing natural and vegan dinning, a shopping bazaar and lectures and performances on the main stage at the "Tantric Shelter." As is customary for the event, speakers and performers came from a variety of lifestyles and faiths.
"It doesn't matter what color you are or what faith you have," said Norman Patrick Brown, a Navajo from Arizona who was asked to speak at the event and bless the estimated 1,500 visitors before they participated in the festival's healing walk. Brown was just one of an eclectic guest list which also included Miao Yin and Narbhu Lama who per-formed Tibetan prayers and chants and Patty Neiman, who treated the crowd to her rendition of several Christian hymns. The Izzat de Punjab Bhangara Troupe, a group of dancers from Guru Ram Das Puri, presented a traditional Panjabi folk dance.
"It is a celebration of peace and people who came to pray for peace," said Prabhu Khalsa, one of the dancers.
Many of the people who attended the event were students of Yogi Bhajan, a teacher of Kund¬alini Yoga and meditation who led the Sikh community before his death in 2004.
"Twenty-five years ago (Bhajan) had a vision to bring together people of different faiths and cultures to share their traditions and their prayers for peace," said Amrit Kaur, of Albuquerque, who said she was Bhajan's former public relations secretary.
Kaur said that over the years the event has hosted everyone from rabbis and Native American shamans to Muslim clerics and Roman Catholic priests.
"Basically it's like Yogi Bhajan said: If you can't see God in all, you can't see God at all," Kaur said.
Visitors to Peace Prayer Day line up to participate in a healing walk. They walked two miles without shoes and stopped to make offerings at three altars set up along their path.
Not every person in attendance was a student of Bhajan's teachings. Some came because they wanted to share their desire for peace while others made the trek to Guru Ram Das Puri out of simple curiosity.
"My uncle told me to come out here and check it out, so I did," Justin Velasquez, of Salt Lake City, Utah, said.
Peace Prayer Day is only one part of a larger event called the Summer Solstice' Sadhana Celebration, which lasts for a total of 10 days and ends Saturday. Kaur said it takes 3H0 and its members roughly six to seven months to prepare for the events, which have been running for 38 years and 25 years, respectively.
With his long run through 90 degree heat finally over, GTS Khalsa only smiled when asked if he would return to run for the 26th time next year.
"Oh well, we'll see," Khalsa said.
Rio Grande SUN Photos by Chris McGuinness