Spice of Life | Joy of langar sewa at Golden Temple

Living in the holy city of Amritsar, I adore my indulgence in the ‘sewa’ of serving food at the ‘langar’ (community kitchen) of Golden Temple. A must ritual, not only every Sunday but several times during the week, it offers an unusual richness to my soul. The moment I step in, I instantly feel the world of equality before me, where several hundreds of devotees from almost everywhere, relish the same meal, sitting together, making a colourful ocean.

Every time I commence to serve, along with many other ‘sewadars’ (volunteers) holding large buckets filled with everyone’s favourite dal, vegetable and ‘kheer’, I am well oriented that I will also witness an exhibition of human behaviours and an array of food preferences. The most touching is when I see hands folded, rolling out gratitude while the food is being served. Many also have a prayer on their lips before they begin to eat.

Interestingly, there are some who want more, especially ‘kheer’ and some want less or very less, making it clear through words or gestures. “Fill it all up” or “Just a spoon, please”. Some also complain, if too much of something is poured into their plates or there’s a delay in service, and many keep their calm. Most children, as expected, are glued to their phones, watching cartoons.

Distributing ‘parshade’ (chapattis) in a wooden basket is my favourite. They are to be given in hands joined together. Occasionally, foreigners or even visitors from other Indian states extend just one hand but are instantly guided: “Both hands, please.” Or there’s someone nearby to quickly guide, using their hands. I ebulliently thank them in return.

On ‘kadhi’ day, everyone requests for more ‘pakoras’ and at times it becomes difficult to please all. As rice also gets served along, it lessens the demand for chapattis, considering everyone’s favourite combination of curry and rice. Many also have special requests. Do you have pickles? Can we take food home for someone bedridden? Of course, they are allowed, and we euphorically fill their containers.

What surprises me most is that despite several hours in ‘sewa’, I never feel exhausted. Rather with every minute, my energy soars. There’s a rare joy running in me, a blessed feeling. Encountering so many behaviours, I have realised that every soul is so different but what’s vital is that we understand everyone, instead of raising ifs and buts.

Often, the best epiphanies land in me, as if as sewa’s reward. In a few words, truly a workshop where one begins to become grounded and peaceful as I myself experienced, considering a beautiful shift in my attitude, from angry to a calm individual, making me feel so gratified.

What astonishes me even more is that only a year and a half ago, during a visit to Golden Temple, I suddenly decided to perform ‘sewa’ for an hour, just to experience how it feels but didn’t know that the first-ever ‘sewa’ would connect me to it forever. Such is the magic that flows in one an unbridled joy. Which is why, Kahlil Gibran once declared: “I slept and dreamed that lifeis all joy. I woke up and saw that lifeis all service. I served and I saw that service is a joy.” How true!

The writer is an Amritsar-based freelance contributor. He can be reached at rameshinder.sandhu@gmail.com.