Thousands at Sikh celebration
COVENTRY’S Sikh community came together yesterday, as part of the annual Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan parade. Up to 20,000 people are believed to have taken to the streets of Foleshill, to celebrate the year of 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh – a spiritual leader, warrior, poet and philosopher – founded the order of the Khalsa. One of the warmest days of the year, the parade attracted crowds from across Coventry, the wider Midlands, and Warwickshire, with attendees from Rugby, Leamington and beyond. Starting at the Guru Nanak Parkash Sikh temple on Harnall Lane, the procession picked up floats from neighbouring Gurudwara’s as it moved along, with increasing numbers of people joining in. The procession also included buses full of both school children and the elderly. At the head of the procession was the float containing the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scripture of Sikhism. A number of worshippers moved ahead of this float, to sweep the roads clear before the scriptures passed over. The celebrations featured a number of guests, including representatives from the five charities which have received donations this year, as part of the festivities. According to one of the organisers, Ranbir Lakhpuri: “We choose five British charities every year as that is an important number in Sikhism with five prayers said in the morning, five K’s that baptised Sikhs must wear and the five beloved ones.
The five charities which received donations this year were: The Teenage Cancer Trust Mountain Rescue Association Baginton Fields School Sikh Awareness Society EKTA Unity David O’Sullivan, a member of the Derby Mountain Rescue team attended the celebrations to accept a check for £501 on behalf of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, he said: “It’s amazing really. Every part of Mountain Rescue England and Wales is made up entirely of volunteers, and all of our funding comes from the public, we don’t have any government funding.
“One of things that I’ve learned here today is that the Sikh community really believes in voluntary work, and helping others, so, the mountain rescue and the Sikh community actually fit together really well.
“It’s my first experience of Vaisakhi, and it’s absolutely fantastic, it’s really bright and colourful, absolutely everyone is really friendly and welcoming, and I think it’s really good that they are able to celebrate in this way.”
The event was attended by a number of councillors from both Labour and the Conservatives, with Coun George Duggins and Coun Gary Ridley both addressing the crowds prior to the start of the procession.
Once the parade returns to the Gurdwara, the day is rounded off with a martial arts demonstration.
With such a large turnout, both the police and the numerous volunteers worked together to ensure that events ran smoothly. PC Chris Burnham of Foleshill Police station said: “This is an annual event, and I’ve worked in Coventry for more than 20 years, and I’ve worked this event for probably the last 10.
“If it was a one off, it would take a lot of forward planning. As the majority of people are old hands, it tends to run itself now.
“It’s a celebration. There’s lots of free food, there’s lots of goodwill, and it’s a nice event to be involved in.”
Volunteers at the event help out in a number of ways. Navpreet Dhadwal was one of the volunteers on bicycles, tasked with ensuring that crowds remained safe. He said: “My primary role is to make sure that no one is get-
ting injured. But after that, it’s to make sure that everyone is having a good time.
“If there are people on the pavements or on the sides, we want to make sure that they don’t feel uncomfortable, we’re trying to show that we are just one community at the end of the day.”
For Sandeep Sandhu, Vaisakhi sees her entire family come together to help out. She said: “I think I’ve been to every single one in Coventry since I was born.
“We always steward, as a family, my mum, dad and sisters always get involved. It’s just nice to be able to help out.
“It’s massive. It’s our main event really, for the Sikh community, it’s the one time that you can guarantee to see everyone you know. I’ve made a lot of friends over the years, by coming to this event, and talking to people I never normally would.” Sandeep’s sister, Bali Kaur, is involved with the organisation of the event. She said: “It’s a lovely day to share the happiness and the peacefulness. “Coventry is a multicultural city, and when the procession goes along, we’ll be meeting people from other backgrounds, and it’s just getting together, and telling them that they are welcome to join us because it is a family fun day out for everyone.”