Tara Romoff is an avid rambler and world explorer. She was born in England, lived in Portugal as a young child, and then moved to Toronto, Canada where she lived during her school years. After marrying her high-school sweetheart, she relocated to Chicago, USA and raised her two kids. She and her husband recently moved from Singapore to Atlanta.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we emerged from an underground parking lot stairway to enter Delhi’s largest Sikh house of worship. A Sikh temple is called a gurdwara. This one is called Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and it has existed in this spot since 1783.
I am a white woman with white hair and was sporting my clunky Hoka’s, a down vest, and hot pink glasses, entering what to me was a very foreign place of worship. Perhaps it was that I was accompanied by my local tour guide, Mona, who, by the way, is Hindu and not Sikh, that I did not feel the least bit intimidated. Or perhaps is was just the welcoming aura of the place.
After removing our shoes and socks, covering up our heads, and washing our hands and feet, we joined the throngs of people inside the temple. The hustle and bustle and flash of beautiful colors were everywhere. Most men wore turbans, and women were draped in exquisite scarves, which they used a portion of to cover their heads.
Visitors, worshippers, and volunteers were moving every which way. Some were headed to the sacred pool or Sarovar to take a bath or dip their toes in the waters, which are believed to have healing powers. Others were there to pray and give offerings and were making their way to the darbar or main shrine in the divan hall which was ornately decorated in real gold. Most of the visitors were not Sikh but were there to take advantage of the free meals offered to anyone visiting the langar or food hall.
After visiting the divan hall, we went back outside. From here we walked past hundreds of people patiently waiting their turn to enter the langar. We continued on to the heart of the operation: the kitchen. Here, dozens of volunteers or sewadars of all ages were peeling onions, topping and tailing beans, making chapati, or operating the large cooking cauldrons.
Others were handing out tin plates, and spoons to the hungry visitors who were sitting in the massive food hall in perfect rows on carpets on the floor; food servers walked up and down the aisles scooping out plentiful mounds of rice, dal, stewed vegetables, and potatoes. There was even rice pudding for dessert.
One would think it was the city's neediest residents being served this wonderful meal, but I was surprised when our guide told me there were also teachers, businessmen, the elderly, mothers, and children among those sitting on the floor side by side enjoying a hot meal.
After a definitive amount of time, guests hurried to finish their last bite and then got up and took their plates and spoons to the dishwashing area. Then, another crew of volunteers quickly moped down the hall to prepare for the next wave of guests.
This happens three times a day, 365 days a year, each time until the last person is served. Every day, the temple hosts 10,000 guests, feeding each one of them a hot meal free of charge.
After watching the process for one seating, I sat there with a cup of chai tea in awe at how all are welcome, no matter their religious beliefs or socio-economic backgrounds. I felt amazed by the huge amount of guests the langar fed for free, and that the entire operation was run by volunteers.
And to top it off, I learned that almost all gurdwaras have a langar that caters to their communities from India to Europe to a small Sikh temple in middle America - how amazing is that?
If any of you have had an adventure in Delhi or India, we would love to hear about it in the comments!
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