Entering the Guru Singh Sabha gurudwara gives you the feeling of stepping to another world, Punjab - to be precise. As turban-clad children run amok, a six feet Sardarji gently requests us to keep our footwear outside. We sit down and try talking to the few ladies present there, but neither of us can correctly follow the other’s tongue.
Just then, a little girl walks up to us and speaks in crisp Malayalam and it soon becomes clear that children who regularly mingle with the native kids at school can speak Malayalam well, and therefore don’t feel very alienated from the rest.
Bunty Singh is one Punjabi in the city who can speak Malayalam fluently, and for that reason, he was our only familiar figure in this ‘get to know a community’ experience. After we cover our heads as is the practice, we are lead to the Durbar hall in the first floor, meant for worship. White clothes are spread on the floor with both men and women sitting on both sides reciting Keerthans. The Head priest referred to as ‘babaji’ leads the bhajan session while two others accompany him with their musical instruments. On an elevated seat, the religious symbols of the Punjabis, khanda, ekomkar and kirpan are placed. After the recital, babaji reads Hukamnama, a hymn from Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
The recital over, and a young boy rushes to distribute ‘karah prasad’, a delicious whole wheat halwa, which the kids fondly term as ‘gurudware wala halwa’. We then go on to meet baba who introduces himself as Khulwant Singh. He says he has been here for the last few years to perform priestly
duties. Everyday he wakes up at 3.45 am and reads the Hukamnama. He tells us that the members of 25 Sikh families, settled in Kochi assemble regularly at the gurudwara, the only existing one in Kerala every Sunday and Wednesday. People belonging to all walks of life can attend the prayer.
As we step down, we meet Gobind Kaur, an 80-something-year old Punjabi ‘bahu’ settled in Kochi for the past 55 years. Ask her if she has come to like Kerala, and she says, “Punjab is after all Punjab. Everything over there is different. I am from Rawalpind. I came here with my husband who had his automobile business in Kochi.”
A nostalgic Gobind Kaur says that she terribly misses her relatives who are now in Pakistan. She feels that the gay abandon and high-spiritedness with which the Punjabis celebrate their festivals back home, cannot be compared to that in Kerala. She also rues that she would never be able to go back to Punjab in her lifetime.
Next we are in for a
delectable surprise, in the form of ‘Guru Ka Langar’, the vast community kitchen of Sikhs situated at the ground floor. The pictures of Sikh gurus like Guru Nanak Dev, Angad Dev, Amar Das adorn the walls and a whole group of people sit on the floor in the same ‘pangat’ or row.
An amiable Jaswant Singh, sitting next to us goes on to explain the tradition of Langar. Langar was started by Guru Nanak Dev to ensure everyone gets a meal a day. At the Langar, only vegetarian food is served, so that all people, regardless of their dietary habits, can eat as equals. It is open to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. We were served roti, rice, dal, pakkodas and jalebi. Food served here should not be wasted as per the norm, and the friendly Sikhs
sitting next to us shared our food readily.
Kochi being a coastal city is abode to almost 25 Sikh families, the largest number in South India, with a majority of them being into the automobile business. The first waves of migration to the city dates back to the first two decades of 20th century. Says Bunty Singh who is into the spare parts business, “Compared to Punjabis, Kochiites are more peace-loving. Being the business hub, it is also a haven for the traders. The young generation is well settled here and does not prefer to go back to Punjab”.
All the Sikhs who become our immediate acquaintances bade us pleasant goodbyes as we stepped out of the Gurudwara.
parvathy@newindianexpress.com