The congregation listening to the continuous reading of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Khalsa Land in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor.
A SIKH non-governmental organisation threw a bash to mark the 10th anniversary of its community centre in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor.
The Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) centre called Khalsa Land is located in a picturesque setting next to Sungai Selangor.
Khalsa Land manager Sarjit Singh Naura said it wanted to celebrate the occasion in a big way.
“The development of this land has come this far with the support of the community,” he said.
SNSM’s Khalsa Land development committee members made arrangements with gurdwara or Sikh temples to ferry guests from within Selangor and outside the state.
A volunteer stirring the pot of rice pudding in the community kitchen.
Sarjit said the idea to have a community-based centre was mooted by SNSM leaders in 1998.
The intention was to have a large enough place that would serve as a centre of development for Sikh youth, where various activities could be held in addition to also serving the needs of other segments of the Sikh community.
The committee is a dedicated arm of SNSM that oversees and manages operations of Khalsa Land.
In a statement, the committee said various youth and family camps, educational trips by students, family programmes, get-togethers and community prayers had been held at the place over the last decade.
More than 1,500 Sikhs visited Khalsa Land over the three-day event including members of other organisations such as Malaysian Gurdwaras Council, Ekta Club of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor as well as the Perak-based Sikh Single Mothers Association.
The anniversary celebration started with an Akhand Path, which is a three-day continuous reading of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, followed by the singing of kirtan or devotional songs led by teachers and students from Gurmat Sangeet Academy.
Kirtan performance by Dya under the stars.
The highlight was an open-air kirtan session under the stars, led by Malaysian-born Dya Singh who now resides in Melbourne, Australia.
Other activities included a wellness clinic by Ekta followed by a health talk and fun games for the young and young-at-heart.
A booth was also set up to sell Khalsa Land merchandise, including T-shirts, canvas bags, coffee mugs, umbrellas and pencil cases.
Personalised 60sen postage stamps depicting the ground-breaking ceremony of Khalsa Land on Sept 11, 2011, were distributed to visitors to commemorate the occasion.
No Sikh religious occasion would be complete without food or Guru Ka Langgar, which was served to all visitors.
The volunteers helped make dishes such as chapati and paratha, rijma saag (greens), vegetarian nasi lemak, sweet rice and rice pudding, among others, not forgetting Punjabi masala tea.
Other volunteers were kept busy preparing the ingredients, washing the dishes and ensuring Khalsa Land remained spick- and-span throughout the three days.
