Me Myself & Monica

Guru's langar

One hot June day, I was stopped by local lads on the chaotic National Highway.
They had set up a chabeel to serve sharbat to thirsty travellers. This act of piety commemorated the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Guru.

A week later, at Gurdwara , I saw groups of young people clamouring for a chance to serve at the langar - the community meal. Some were clad in jeans and sported fashionable haircuts, while some were dressed in kurta-pajamas to mark the 'Indianness' of the occasion. They exchanged lively banter over buckets of dal and thaalis heaped high with phulkas as they deftly manoeuvred laden utensils between rows of devotees seated in the langar hall. I reminded myself that many of these youngsters had left behind a cricket match on TV while some would have postponed a mobike trip to Kasauli.

Yet others were staggering under the weight of triple tuitions that would take them past Plus Two while some were back from coaching classes that promised them a B-school entry.
The spirit of community service is nowhere more strikingly evident than in the institution of the langar. Here one finds people who give up their spare time and more pleasurable pursuits to serve food and water to pilgrims or to wait on passers-by.

I wondered what motivates them. No doubt there is a clear realisation that this is a good deed. Waiting on the devotees who queue up for prasad seems to be a popular form of service among the young, who are otherwise criticised for abandoning traditional values at the drop of a hat.
My companion, a mother of two teenagers, remarked wryly that these youngsters would perhaps not even clear their own plates from the dining table at home.

But positive peer pressure or some inner command propelled them to volunteer their services at the Guru's langar. Our youth looked so pure and peaceful.

Milton's famous line, with a twist, came to mind: "They also serve who only stand and wait."

posted by Monica @ 4:39 AM