r/Sikh

I would like to raise a concern regarding the way langar is being practiced in many gurudwaras today.

Langar is a deeply important part of Sikhism. It represents seva, equality, and community. However, in some places, its true purpose seems to be getting diluted. I want to share a few observations and possible improvements.

My concerns:-

• Taking langar home before sangat eats; Many people come and pack langar in tiffins without sitting and eating with the sangat. While there is nothing wrong with helping those in need, this practice sometimes leads to situations where others may not get enough food. It also takes away from the core idea of sitting together in equality.
• Competition between committees; In some cases, langar has become a way to showcase how good or tasty it is almost like a competition. This leads to unnecessary spending on rich, unhealthy, or expensive food, which goes against the simplicity and humility that langar stands for.
• Food wastage; A significant amount of food is wasted because people take more than they can eat, and there is little awareness or system to prevent this.

a few Suggestions for improvement:

• Serve sangat first; Food should first be served to those sitting in the langar. Distribution for takeaway can be considered only after everyone present has been served.
• Focus on simple and nutritious meals; Langar should prioritize balanced, healthy, and sustainable food rather than expensive or overly rich items. The goal should be nourishment, not display.
• Reduce wastage through awareness and better serving practices:-
  • Serve smaller portions initially and allow refills
  • Encourage people to take only what they can finish
  • Promote awareness about the value of langar
• Encourage seva-based responsibility; Instead of strict punishment, those who waste food can be gently encouraged to participate in seva (like helping in cleaning or washing utensils), building a sense of responsibility.

Langar is one of the most beautiful expressions of equality and service. With small improvements, we can ensure it continues to reflect its true spirit.

Had my daughter today, we need the letter S! Wanting something a bit Modern. Thanks all

I would love to know more about Sikhism, as it aligns very well with my personal philosophy — I have been Tibetan Buddhist for 8 years now but would like to explore different faiths. I practice chanting on prayer beads and for all my life, vegetarianism has been very dear to me. The fact that meditation on the name of the ultimate guru and creator of the universe is fascinating. What can I do to start my devotion or explore the faith of Sikhism?

Hi, I’m a 30 F, and my parents are religious Sikhs, I however not really that religious, and my parents didn’t really care when I became older. I’ve always had a good relationship with my parents (beside teen years which I assume many can relate to).

They’ve given me the freedom to choose who I want to marry etc for years. But personally I don’t really want to get married, I know Sikhi advocates for family life etc. but recently not them but other family members have been pressuring me, I really dont want to get married at all. I love my life as it is now, I have a good group of friends, my own place, good career (which I love), and soon I’ll be able to be partner at the firm I work at.

Are there any tips of how I can talk to my Punjabi Sikh parents because they’re not really accepting with the fact that I don’t want to get married. I’ve been even told by family members how will I have kids etc (which I’m assuming someone might comment), I don’t want kids, I would never put my body through that, it’s just not for me (maybe adopt when I’m older but idk)

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh 🙏 I had a few questions regarding my situation. Here is the info:

Me [20M] (Punjabi Sikh) & my partner [21F] (Pakistani Punjabi + Filipino Sikh), my questions are:

- Does religion matter more than culture in Sikh marriages?

- How did your family react?

- Has anyone married someone mixed background but Sikh?

- What helped your family accept your partner?

I’m a 22F living with awful pelvic pain/nerve pain it started when I was 20, and not only that, one day I woke up to a headache that never left. You might be wondering why I’m posting this in this subreddit; basically, I grew up Sikh, I think I still am but I’m losing hope in god and lowk starting to resent (I know it’s bad but I can’t help it) because I’ve been in pain for like two years awful pain, I had to put a stop in my career plans, and no doctors nothing is helping.

I’ve never done any of the stuff that is prohibited in Sikhi, I’ve never smoke or drank, or even eat meat (i know this might be controversial but I mean it in a way I don’t want to hurt animals). I’ve always done so much paath (im not Amrit dhari tho). I feel like I don’t love god anymore or religion, this pain has ruined me, I try to have hope in god but it’s hard.

Has anyone in a similar situation found their way back?

I was having a conversation with my 17 year old son the other day, and was trying to get to the crux of why Brits - by and large - hold Sikh migrants with such high regard which is quite often not extended to those from other populations.

I look at my childhood of the 80s and 90s and, whilst not wildly diverse, we had warm and excellent relationships with Sikhs young and old and older. Some 40 years later I still see that same friendship, but less so with people of other religions.

My social history is good enough to understand the British Empire etc, but are there other factors at play that I've not considered?

As ever, I'm here to have my mind broadened and knowledge enriched. Not to start arguments.

Thanks for reading!

I’m familiar with Sikh history and have a pretty firm grasp on beliefs.

However, I feel overwhelmed about practices. As someone who cannot speak or read Punjabi/Gurmukhi, I have a hard time finding resources that convey accurate and detailed information.

Will I only be able to truly engage in Sikhi if I learn the languages first? Any advice would be appreciated

I’m seeing like a lot of posts on this subreddit about non Sikh and Sikh marriages; I understand it’s debatable; but why are people commenting that a man can marry out of religion as long as the woman converts, but a woman doing the same is unacceptable.

I find this absurd, cus if this is true I honestly don’t think I align with Sikhi anymore I really loved how equal it was between men and women. Isn’t it our soul that truly matters, and soul are genderless, in our past lives we could’ve lit been any gender or animal.

Also random, but like on tik tok if I see a (Sikh Punjabi) man marrying like a another race at the gurdwara, the comments are always hyping the man up, but when I see a woman doing the same, she’s always getting shamed.

Sskal everyone. Please mass report this page and this guy’s reel. Our community was just serving langar when this white youtuber started calling them khalistani and attacked in a gurudwara. You can see he is clearly pushing a sikh man. He is trying his agenda hard to spread hate towards Indian community. Calling sikhs uber driver and making fun of the term sikh in his story by saying ‘ I am sikh of these people ‘ isko report krdo sab log. 🙏🏻