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Chanting Satnam Wahe-guru hundreds of men and women took part in a procession last week as Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Gurdwara in Richmond Hill, Queens, organized a Nagar Kirtan Nov. 14 to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti to mark the birth of the first Sikh Guru.
Men, women and children, their heads covered with turbans and scarves walked for some two miles during the 15th Nagar Kirtan, or processional singing of holy hymns. Besides Sikhs, several Hindus also joined the procession. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was born April 15, 1469 in Talwandi which is now in Pakistan and is known as Nankana Sahib.
The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism was carried on a flower-bedecked float that started from 114 Street on 101 Avenue, passing though several streets and blocks before the procession came to an end after four hours. People stood on sidewalks along the route, paying their respect and also joining in chanting Wahe-guru during one of Sikhsm’s most sacred festivals. About 50 percent of those who took part in the procession were women, according to those present at the event.
The organizers estimated that a total of some 10,000-odd people took part in the event, although not everybody was present at the same time.
Members of the Sikh Cultural Society located at 118th Street, welcomed and Nagar Kirtan. From a makeshift stage Gurdev Singh Kang, president of Sikh Cultural Society, gave a brief address in which he condemned the terrorist attack in Paris and condoled the death of innocent victims.
There was free food, tea and water along the route of the procession provided by volunteers of the Gurdwara.
One of the most visually attractive parts of the celebrations said H.P. Singh, an advertising executive in Manhattan, who was present at the event, was the display of martial arts on the streets. “From ten-year-olds to adults displayed mock fights with swords and clubs in a symbolic show of courage and valiance that characterize Sikh people,” Hervender Singh said. About 50 such people took part in the martial art display.
Organizers said that although New York City Mayor and some other high-ranking officials were to attend the procession, none of them could make it because of emergency following the terror attack in Paris.
The post Colorful Guru Nanak Jayanti Parade Held In Richmond Hill appeared first on News India Times.
