Did you know...

.... that Langar is a Sikh free kitchen which was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the fifteenth century. It is designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world regardless of their religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of Langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind. "..the Light of God is in all hearts", said Guru Nanak (sggs 282)

.... that Bani (Punjabi (Punjabi: ਬਾਣੀ)) is short for Gurbani (Punjabi (Punjabi: ਗ੝ਰਬਾਣੀ)) and is the term used by Sikhs to refer to various sections of the Holy Text that appears in their several Holy Books. These Banis are often found in small Gutkas or Small Books containing sections of Gurbani.

....that Anand Karaj is the name given to the Sikh wedding ceremony, literally translated as "Blissful Occasion". Sikhs regard marriage as a sacred bond of mutual dependence between a man and a woman.

.... that the three requirements of a Sikh are: Nam Japna - Rise in the Amrit Vela and meditate on God's Name; Dharam Di Kirt Karna - Earn one's living righteously by the sweat of the brow or the industry, effort and conscientiousness of the mind and Vand Chhakna - Share what one has with others

.... that the Panj Granthi is a pothi or small book containing five chosen texts, from the Guru Granth Sahib. The word "panj" means "five" and "granthi" is the diminutive form of "granth" (holy book)

.... that Alahunian is the name given to the Bani by Guru Nanak. It is a composition in measure Vadahans in the Guru Granth Sahib on page Page 578 and refers to a dirge (funeral song) wailingly sung in chorus by women mourning the death of a close relation. Etymologically, the word means an "utterance in praise of a departed person".

..... that Siropa is a term adopted from Persian sar-o-pa (head and foot) or sarapa (head to foot) meaning an honorary dress and is used in Sikh vocabulary for a garment, scarf or a length of cloth bestowed on someone as a mark of honour.

..... that the Kashmiri Brahmins came to Guru Tegh Bahadar at Anandpur in May 1675 for protection against atrocities of Aurangzeb. Kirpa Ram led this group of Kashmiri Pandits driven to dire straits by State Persecution.

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