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| Sikh Empowerment Voluntary Association (SEVA) volunteers handing out drinks in High Road, Ilford. Picture: Sikh PA |
16 June 2016: Volunteers handed out cold drinks to shoppers to celebrate a Sikh guru.
Members of the Sikh Empowerment Voluntary Association (SEVA) took to High Road, Ilford, to mark Chabeel Day, an international day of commemoration of the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
Chabeel is a Punjabi word referring to a sweet, cool, non-alcoholic drink made up of rose-water syrup, milk and ice.
Sikhs, traditionally in India, offer chabeel to the general public on hot days, especially between May and June, when they remember the martyrdom of the guru.
Volunteer Mandy Kaur said: “It was a great day of community integration. Through this simple gesture of handing out a free, cool, sweet drink on this warm day, we were able to put a smile on someone’s face.
“Hopefully people went away with a better understanding of the Sikh faith.”