Why Sikhs serve & why others should emulate?
COVID-19 crisis brought the entire world to its knees. The second wave of Corona in India was quite brutal and claimed many lives. There were help messages all over the internet and there was complete mayhem in the country. When nobody knew what to do, Humanity took over. People from all across the country came forward to help each other, especially the Sikh community. From helping people to performing the last rites of their loved ones to opening Gurudwara for COVID treatment, the Sikh community proved that there is so much to learn from them. Today, we are decoding reasons why Sikhs serve and why others should emulate?
Sikhism came from Northern India and is the world’s fifth-largest organized religion. There are 25 million Sikhs all across the globe and approximately half a million in the United States of America. Sikh means seeker of Truth. Sikhism stands for the equality of men and women and denounces any kind of discrimination on the basis of gender, colour, class and wealth.
“We have been going to Gurudwaras since we are born. Not only in the teachings but in our practical world Seva is the kindest deed we can perform. Seva can be of any kind, for example, serving food in langar hall, washing dishes, collecting shoes, cleaning floors etc. We serve humankind and that is how we serve God”, Says Ramandeep Kaur, Journalist
As she said Sikhs are taught to help others since childhood. For them serving humankind is like serving God. By serving Sikh’s show humility. Showing love and respect towards others show their love for Waheguru. According to Sikhism, the main focus of Sikh life is to establish a firm relationship with God. Well, there are many aspects in Sikhs life but their main focus remains equality and oneness of humanity.
And this makes them best from the rest. The Sikh community firmly believes in inequality. All are treated equally irrespective of their gender, class, wealth and disability. Over the years, we have seen how Sikhs have come forward in a time of crisis. Be it Corona or 2015 Mumbai Floods, Sikhs have proved there is no service above humanity.
1. When they bought water for double price and distributed it in Latur during Maharashtra drought 2016
According to an article in Indian Express, Volunteers of the Khalsa Aid organization coordinated with Maharashtra Tank Lorry Owner’s to distribute the water in affected areas. Notably, they bought the water at double prices and distributed 200 litres of water to every family in Latur.
When they helped Mumbaikars during the 2015 floods
Thousands of commuters were stranded in train stations when the Mumbai Local Train service was halted due to the floods. Volunteers from Sikh NGOs decided to lend a helping hand and fed langar to famished people.
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When the Members of the Sikh Community helped people standing in queues during the currency ban in India
In the year 2016, entire India was standing in the queue due to the currency ban. There was complete chaos in the country for several days. The Sikh community decided to help people standing in the queues. They started distributing water and tea to people.
When a Sikh opened his Turban to help a bleeding child
In Sikhism, there is nothing bigger than serving others. This story went viral when it broke. A child was involved in an accident in Auckland. He was bleeding and to help him, Harman Singh opened his turban – something that is prohibited in the Sikh religion. At that time, he decided to save his life.
When the United Sikhs helped people to perform the last rites of their loved ones during the second wave of corona
During the Second Wave of corona in India, a lot of people lost their loved ones. They weren’t able to even perform the last rites. United Sikhs helped people to bury or cremate their loved ones with respect and dignity. They reached out to families who were not able to perform the last rites of their family member.
Why other religions should emulate it?
Sikhs are taught equality right from the beginning. They are involved in Kar Sewa and they believe in the oneness of humanity. If every religion will emulate the same values, it will contribute towards a happy, content, fair and equal society. They work on basic principles such as honesty, compassion, generosity, humility, integrity, and service.
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