Today we went to a Sikh Gurdwara (gateway to the guru) in Millis, MA. Funny story. It was supposed to be at the Gurdwara in Milford, but it was changed to Millis and the people hosting us didn’t know ahead of time. There was lots of pulling over on the highway to make phone calls to make sure we all arrived at the right Gurdwara. Lucky there are two Gurdwaras within 15 minutes of each other in souther Mass, who knew? Camille, our lovely host, said that we had an authentic Sikh community experience — one that lets us experience the “whatever happens”, loosely planned feel.
The kids were on board, until we arrived and took off our shoes and added them to the sprawling lines of shoes. They froze and if it hadn’t been snowing, it would have been hard to make them go inside. Luckily it was the first snow of the year so we covered our heads and went in. It was a full sensory experience. Colorful clothes, many sized drums, singing, and fragrant indian food. We sat in the meeting room and listened through three hymns. They were in Punjabi and had translations projected on the wall. The women and men sat separately on the floor, all facing the Holy Book –Guru Granth Sahib. One man stood behind the book and waved a duster in the air above it. The book was under a canopy and covered in an ornate pink jeweled cloth. People walked up to the book, dropped donations in a bowl, and bowed. Then you walk back a few steps before turning around. Oh, and never point your feet at the book. Respect the book. However, Sikism rejects idol worship so they are respecting the book as a way to bring them closer to the True Guru – God. Everyone was coming and going, with free movement of kids. People sat for a few songs or many.
Hungry trio waiting for our Sikh communal meal – Langar.
Blurry picture to prove she ate! They both did.
We sat and ate a vegetarian meal. It is vegetarian so all faiths can sit down together and feel comfortable. All sit in lines on the floor showing there are no castes, but we are all equal. Volunteers bring plates, cups, and carry around food. All workers in the Grudwara are volunteers. It was very very yummy. The kids even ate – rice, mango juice, naan, and rice pudding! My kids approving enough to eat is a ridiculously hard to achieve stamp of approval.
Then Gurpreet rounded up the kids and answered the our questions. He told us about the beginning of Sikhism in response to a tyrant, about the five K’s for baptized members to represent: honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny. Katahdin asked three questions:
Q: “Who wrote the Holy Book?”
A: Its a compilation of many gurus and teachers of other faiths as well, notably Muslim.
Q: “Why is there a sword in front of the book?”
A: Peace is the goal, but if you have tried everything else, its ok to defend what you believe by force.
Q: “Why is the sword curved?”
A: Just a style of sword for horseback soldiers.
Their hospitality was quite impressive. I get the impression that yummy food and hospitality are hallmarks of a Sikh home. There was pleasantly a lack of time keeping or rules. Cover your head, respect the book, and don’t bring dirty plates near the clean. Those seemed to be the important ones for a beginner. We are going to read more about Sikh gurus, what baptism means for them, look up a Kirpan (sword) youtube video, and check out some Sikh comics. I’ll add learn to make a good curry and na’an to that list.
Katahdin asked to leave at least 6 times during the meeting. He said later that he was uncomfortable. Good, that was the point. I wanted us to step out of our comfort zone to experience a new culture and learn new things. We all agreed we would have to bring Phil with us sometime this winter. Katahdin said he loved the drums best, Berkeley like the rice pudding. They both learned only one doctrine today – the definition of equality. I bet they never forget it.
This is our first in a series of faith and culture fieldtrips lined up through our homeschool organization ENRICHri. Our next trips – Catholic Church (on our own), Mosque, Episcopal, and Synagogue.
Gurdwara and Yoga Center in Millis, Massachusetts.
Cute, happy, homeschool kids resting on couch after the meal.
Cute friends.
Gurpreet answering our questions.
