By Surender Bhutani, IANS
Warsaw : The Indian community celebrated Baisakhi with traditional fanfare at a gurdwara in the Polish capital. This is the only Sikh shrine in the whole of Eastern Europe.
Some 2,000 Indians are based in Warsaw, and the gurdwara has become the focal point of religious activities. The preachers have come from Amritsar, with help from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Right from the early morning, the devotees thronged the gurdwara to attend ceremonies starting with the recitation of gurubani. A community lunch, known as `langar’, was organised.
Speaking to IANS, gurdwara committee president J.J. Singh expressed satisfaction with the help provided by non-Sikhs.
“Though there are only 12 Sikh families in Warsaw, yet the cooperation from other communities is great. A big majority of the Sindhis are also devotees of Guru Nanak’s teachings,” he said.
“The cooperation between Sikhs and Sindhis has a history of more than 500 years. We are happy that the functioning of the gurdwara is the result of the same brotherly feelings between Sikhs and Sindhis.”
The construction of a new gurdwara will start soon. The Polish government has given the necessary permission.