The Editor,
April is a very important month for the South Asian community in general and Sikhs in particular.
For them, it is a festive and holy celebration. In the Punjab province of India, it is the beginning of the harvesting season.
Before starting the season, people celebrate. According to the Punjabi calendar, the harvesting season begins in the month of Vaisakh.
As such, the festival is named Vaisakhi. For the Sikhs, Vaisakhi marks the birth of the Khalsa. Khalsa means the "Pure One".
Throughout the month of April, Vaisakhi will be celebrated by the Indo-Canadian community in the Metro Vancouver area with a lot of enthusiasm. More than 100,000 enthusiastic members of the community will take part in each of the Vaisakhi celebrations (Nagar Kirtans) - in Vancouver on April 13 and in Surrey on April 20.
A very unique feature of these celebrations will be the excitement and enthusiasm of the participants. Furthermore, there will be free Indo-Canadian food, delicacies, water and soft drinks will be available to the participants and bystanders all along the Nagar Kirtan (procession) routes.
On both of these occasions, it will be an impressive display of this country's proud policy of inclusion and multiculturalism.
Here in Richmond, the two Sikh temples - Nanaksar Gurdwara on Westminster Highway and the India Cultural Centre of Canada's Nanak Niwas Gurdwara on No.5 Road - will be the hubs of activity throughout the month.
Also, East Richmond Community Association and South Arm Community Association will be collaborating again to celebrate Vaisakhi at South Arm on April 22.
Richmond Multicultural Community Services will be celebrating Vaisakhi on Wednesday, April 17 from 10: 30 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. at Caring Place.
It was on April 13, 1699, that the 10th and the last of the Sikh gurus, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), created the Khalsa. In a sense, Guru Gobind Singh redefined Sikhism as a spiritual, military and political force.
Sikhism, incidentally, was founded by the first guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1535). Guru Gobind Singh reinforced Guru Nanak's vision of a society free of caste, inequality, discrimination, prejudice and superstition.
Today, more than 26 million Sikhs worldwide, including more than half a million in Canada, take great pride in celebrating this historic occasion.
historic occasion. This year marks the 314th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa. By all accounts, these celebrations are a great credit, not only to the Sikhs, but also to this beautiful country of ours. Happy Vaisakhi!
Balwant Sanghera Richmond
