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Sacramento Gurdwara hosts interfaith gathering
Sikhs and Hindus unite to remember the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and address religious tolerance and unity.
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Interfaith gathering at the Sacramento Gurudwara / Courtesy Photo
Sikhs and Hindus of Greater Sacramento gathered on Nov. 24 to participate in an Interfaith Unity event hosted by Gurudwara Sant Nagar in Sacramento.
More than 200 people assembled in one of the first of its kind events bringing the Hindu, Sikh, and other Sanatan communities together.
Many local community leaders attended the event and addressed the crowd. A few prominent leaders included Bobby Singh-Allen, Elk Grove City mayor, Dr. Bhavin Parikh, DI commissioner of the City of Elk Grove, Jill Gayaldo, council member of the City of Rocklin, Rod Brewer, vice mayor of Elk Grove, and Akram Keval, a member of Interfaith council of Sacramento.
Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, along with Bhai Dayala, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Mati Das laid down their life in 1675 to protect the religious freedom of the Hindu community.
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the execution of the Guru and the other three when they refused to convert to Islam. Every year on Nov. 24, Sikhs and Hindus worldwide gather to observe the Balidan Diwas(Martyr Day). It is an occasion to honor the Guru’s legacy, educate the community about his teachings, and reflect on the values of courage, compassion, and righteousness.
The local community at Greater Sacramento to remember the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur / Courtesy PhotoNarinderpal, Hundal of Sant Sagar Gurudwara, and keynote speaker of the event narrated the story of the Guru’s sacrifice. He added, “Today, gathering at Gurdwara Sant Sagar pay homage to those great martyrs and pledge that we should all uphold the message of unity that Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib gave by sacrificing himself to protect religion, and by obeying his command, maintain mutual brotherhood and love, and try to propagate this mission further”.
Bobby Singh-Allen said: "Sikhs believe in oneness (Ek Omkar Satnam). If you hold Sikhi in your heart, you love and respect everyone. Shared humanity, sewa, and giving back have no religion. They are for all and done together."
While sharing his exposure and experience with the Sikh community, Dr. Parikh expressed that the guru’s sacrifice has a message that hate doesn’t have any place in this world. He recalled the names of many prominent Sikh personalities and said that Sikhism teaches equality, humility, and respect. We all need to learn to appreciate and embrace other cultures and learn from them.
Balidan Diwas(Martyr Day) hosted by Gurudwara Sant Nagar in Sacramento. / Courtesy Photo
Rewa Kaul, a Kashmir Pandit born in Srinagar but a resident of the Bay Area, talked about how this supreme sacrifice defended the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus facing brutal oppression and forced conversion to Islam under Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. She reminded the attendees to stay together and united.
Rajat Mahajan, one of the organizers of the event, moderated an interfaith panel discussion. The purpose of the discussion was to promote a dialog on interfaith harmony, the importance of religious tolerance, and standing up for human rights, inspired by Guru’s sacrifice.
Interfaith panel discussion / Courtesy PhotoThe panel had representation from multiple religions. Bhupinder Singh Bhath, Sister Joni Robert, Shyamal Chowdhury, Sachin Gada, and Akram Keval represented Sikh, Hindu, Buddha, Jain, and Islam religions respectively.
During this discussion, Keval urged people to respect each other. He said we have more in common than differences. People are dividing us but we need to stay together, united, and strong.
The event concluded with a pledge led by Chandrashekhar Gaajula. The pledge intended to ask the attendees and community members to commit to staying united against the extremists who are trying to disrupt the harmony. The event was conducted by Vandna Sharma and Lakhwinder Kaur. All attendees were served langar (community dinner) by the Gurudwara.
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