One of the most interesting aspects of the Sikh religion is the langar or the community meal. Langar is prepared everyday in the Gurudwaras but festivals like Baisakhi, Gurupurab make people look forward to it even more. Everybody participates in the special langar that is prepared on the Baisakhi day.

Langar..What is it really?

Langar is basically a free meal served in a Gurudwara. There is a kitchen adjoining the Gurudwara where the food is prepared. It is called Guru ka Langar which means community kitchen. In the langar people from all sects of the society are welcome. There is no bias on the basis of caste, color, creed or religion or social status. So, in a langar everybody sit in the same line or row also known as pangat and relish the food as one. This practice of sitting and having food together was started by Guru Nanak Dev to put an end to the caste system. That's why the food in a Langar is always vegetarian so as not to offend anyone. Another interesting thing to note is that the food in the Langar is prepared by Sewadars or the voluntary helpers. This is called Langar Sewa which is followed very religiously. There are usually hundreds of people who are fed, so it is quite a tedious task. But the voluntary helpers absolutely enjoy it.

Langar making Regulations:

There are some rules that are followed while making Langar like, the sewadars wash their hands before they start cooking and are not allowed to taste the food while making it. The food is absolutely vegetarian and simple. Once the Langar is ready a small portion of each dish is placed before Sri Guru Granth Sahib and a prayer called 'Ardas' is performed. It is a prayer to thank god for his blessings. After the Ardas the food is put back in the pots they were taken from as it is believed that the god has blessed the food.

Serving of the Langar:

After the Langar is prepared and Ardas is performed it now needs to be served to the people. When serving the food the sewadar's head is always covered and he does not get biased while serving food. Everybody is served equal portions of the food. Cleanliness and hygiene is the topmost priority while cooking Langar and while serving it. The people who serve wait for everybody to be served before they themselves sit down to eat. You can never find any leftovers in the plate after the food has been consumed. The servers do not touch the serving utensil to the plates of those they serve.

The Langar has a major significance in Sikhism. Everybody gets together to serve and prepare the Langar irrespective of their caste, creed, sex, religion, social status. Weather you are rich or poor, this mindset is all left behind once you enter the Gurudwara premises. It is more of a duty towards mankind where sitting together to have food brings a feeling of oneness in the society. People from all communities participate in it very enthusiastically.