January 12, 2025 Essay: Faith in Action–Getting to Know Sikhi
In May 2018, Pope Francis met briefly with a delegation of representatives of Dharmic religions as part of a conference at the Vatican. Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs attended since their faiths all had roots in India. In November 2018, he urged Christians to foster a “culture of tenderness”, ahead of the Sikh holiday honoring the birth of its founder, Sri Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas.
I knew none of this when I went to India for the first time in 2019. My husband, Kevin, and I were part of a delegation with the International Conference for the Financial Women’s Association. We learned about the economic, business, and political drivers of the country, and in our “spare time”, we learned more about India’s incredibly diverse culture. Not surprisingly for the chair of the Ignatian Interfaith Ministry, we chose to take a tour of various houses of worship in Mumbai—everything from a Catholic Church—named St. Ignatius, no less!—to Hindu and Jain temples, Muslim memorials, and even a synagogue.
However, it wasn’t until we went to New Delhi that I was truly moved. Our delegation went to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara Delhi, one of the holiest places of worship for Sikhs. Thousands visit the Gurudwara (temple) each day and it represents the Sikh teaching of simplicity, service, and respect for all beings.
What I experienced made a huge impact. From our first steps into the temple with our heads covered and barefoot walking through cleansing water, we were reminded of being humble and equal with our fellow visitors.
While the Gurudwara was as ornate as a Hindu temple and had an inner worship area covered in gold, no statues or idols were adorning its dazzling interior, in keeping with the monotheism of the Sikh faith. In the center, there was a platform with a sacred scripture and musical chanting. Both men and women were permitted to pray, and both were required to dress modestly. Some of the prayers were translated into English on video screens and I was moved by the words: “The Destroyer of Sorrow is Thy Name, O Lord, the Destroyer of Sorrow is Thy Name.” That, and its monotheism made me realize we had more in common than I realized.
Next, we moved to an immense open kitchen and we learned that service—Seva—is part of all Sikh temples. Performing Seva refers to the act of volunteering or giving back without any expectations of reward, and it plays an important role for Sikhs. Seva activities include serving food and helping with washing up, and visitors are encouraged to join in with these tasks. We all sat down and rolled out Indian flat bread, as we watched people stir huge caldrons of daal (lentils) and vegetable curry. Why do they do this? To serve anyone who wants a simple but healthy meal, “cooked in God’s name”.
Anyone can come in for a meal and all must sit on the floor as equals. There is a huge water basin outside the temple, which reminded me of the reflecting pool in Washington DC. There, anyone can ritually purify themselves as part of religious observance.
I was astonished to learn that the temple and kitchen are open 24/7 and every day the kitchen cooks and serves 1,760 pounds of curry, daal and chapattis (flat breads made out of 3,750 pounds of wheat flour), and 880 pounds of rice. The kitchen feeds over 35,000 people each day and about 100,000 people on special occasions or Sikh festivals! Can you imagine? We left awed and inspired.
I hope you can join us at the Ignatian Interfaith Ministry on Monday, January 13th at 7 PM in Wallace Hall as Harmeet Kamboj, Senior State Policy Manager, Sikh Coalition to learn more about this little understood faith tradition. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Please register at [email protected].