Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary Celebrated at the California State Capitol
ByRas H. Siddiqui
Guru Nanak (1469 to 1539) was the first Guru and is the revered founder of the Sikh faith which now has over 25 million adherents, making it the fifth largest religion.in the world. Sikhism has incorporated the teachings of ten Gurus or guides, six of whom contributed to the Sikh Holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib (considered by Sikhs as the eternal living guru) encapsulating the beliefs of this unique monotheistic faith founded in the Punjab (the land of 5 rivers) which is divided between the countries of India and Pakistan today.
This year marks the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak which is being celebrated worldwide in many different ways. The Sikh Diaspora is not only present in almost all countries but it is also the most visible since devout Sikh men do not cut their hair and wear a turban amongst other visible components of their faith. One can recognize a Sikh man from his turban alone from quite a distance anywhere on this planet.
There are now approximately 500,000 Sikhs in America. The state of California itself has had a Sikh presence since at least the very early 1900’s and that population has only grown in the agricultural regions of our Golden State. Punjabi farmers are legendary, and their green thumb has kept many others well fed due to their strong work ethics and a close attachment to land. And their enterprising ways do not stop here. Small business has also become an attractive alternative for many and those businesses in some cases have grown to become large conglomerates.
Punjabis live a life full of gusto. They are known all over South Asia and the world for their music and dance (e.g. Bhangra and Gidda). They also believe in public service (Seva) and many a hungry outsider has been fed for free at the Langar (Kitchen) of a Sikh Gurdwara. But that does not mean that they are unwilling to adopt some of the local cultural attributes of the countries that they reside in either. This report will focus on a somewhat unique one since this writer was not previously aware of the fact that Sikhs have their own motorcycle clubs here too.
To celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak, Sikh Motorcycle Clubs from USA and Canada decided to execute a 550-mile ride, with a starting point (October 19th) at their oldest American Gurdwara in Stockton (built in 1912) and ending their journey on October 20th at the California State Capitol. But the uniqueness of this journey to honor the founder of the faith did not stop there. This combined effort by four motorcycle clubs namely the ChardiKalla, Sikh Motorcycle Club USA, Sikh Motorcycle Club Canada and Sikhead Saints became even more unique because they made this an interfaith event as well.
The motorcycle riders besides visiting several Gurdwaras also visited the First Baptist Church on Southgate Blvd, the Lakhsmi Narayan Mandir on Elder Creek Rd, the Congregation Beth Shalom and the SALAM Islamic Center on College Oak in the Sacramento region. One could only imagine the scene at SALAM when a large number of bearded Sikh motorcycle riders rode in to be greeted by the management at the steps of this mosque! They also visited the DashmeshDarbar, Elk Grove, Elsie Avenue, Sacramento, Rio Linda, Roseville, Yuba City and Anderson/Redding Gurdwaras (this may not be a complete list). The plan was to ride 550 miles and they made that happen.
The riders returned to the California State Capitol on Sunday, October 20th where this writer caught up with them and listened live to a well-arranged live KirtanDarbar which awakened the spirit of contemplation within many listeners. The formalities here opened with the singing of the American National Anthem by Pamela Shankar. The event emcee was InderjitKallirai who along with Guri Kang (the duo have become locally known as K2) made the arrangements here. The guest of honor was the Mayor of Elk Grove Steve Ly who gave a short speech and presented a proclamation in honor of the occasion to a member of one of the motorcycle clubs. Other speakers included Waseem Bawa from the SALAM Center.
The message conveyed through this effort was that although our religious beliefs may be different, we have a common thread connecting us through our humanity. In a way we celebrate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak together. Plus, this has become an additionally happy year of celebration for the Sikh faith both in South Asia and worldwide as well, because Pakistan plans to open the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, 2019 giving visa free access to members of the community for visiting their holy site where Guru Nanak is believed to have died. I believe that this is happening for the first time since the Partition of 1947. We can all celebrate such a positive step together, irrespective of our individual beliefs.
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