‘Our way of sharing’: Regina’s Sikh community celebrates birth of Khalsa

Many Saskatchewan Sikhs took to Regina’s streets on Saturday to celebrate Vaisakhi, an annual holiday that marks birth of the Khalsa tradition.

Khalsa is a practice and order that promotes justice, morality, equality and integrity.

Between 4,000-5,000 people marched in the parade according to Manmeet Singh, secretary of Gurudwara Sahib Sikh Society Regina.

The parade started at the Gurudwara Sahib – which is a place of worship and learning – and finished at Wascana Centre.

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Tents were situated all over the park as people enjoyed performances and food throughout the afternoon.

“The Sikh values are actually Canadian values,” Singh told CTV News.

“The Sikh values are of inclusivity, standing against injustice, earning an honest wage, earning your honest living, and then sharing. This is our way of sharing our culture, our food with everyone to show that we belong here and that we are part of the Canadian and the Saskatchewan fabric.”

Compared to some other religions around the world, Sikhism is a relatively newer one, born of the teachings of Guru Nanak in 1469. Around the world, there are between 24 million and 30 million people identifying as Sikhs.

Sikhs believe in one supreme, timeless entity: a creator who is without gender, unborn, undying, omnipresent, and within everything and everyone.

A Sikh follows three rules in daily life: meditate on the essence of the Eternal (naam japo), earn an honest living (kirat karo) and share with others (vand chhako).

The Khalsa is a collective of committed Sikhs who are the leaders and protectors of the Sikhs. The Khalsa was originally meant to fight oppression, to promote freedom and basic needs.

The order was created in April 1699, when the 10th Guru tested the Sikhs by asking for volunteers willing to sacrifice themselves. The first five who offered to do so became devotees formed the first Khalsa, also known as the Panj Pyare. The names of the Panj Pyare translate to the ideal Khalsa qualities.

“Some people might see this as a call for a war, as a call to fight for freedom, but that’s not the purpose,” said Singh. “The purpose was, I want you to put aside your ego. A soldier doesn’t go to war to fight someone, a soldier goes to the war to save his fellow countrymen, to save his fellow neighbors.”

Highlighted in the parade was gatka, a holistic martial art meant to simulate sword combat and teach spiritual and physical discipline.

“A soldier needs to be fit … [gatka promotes] that fitness [so] that you do some sort of martial arts, some physical activity,” said Singh.

“You want to give that to your kids so that they live a healthy lifestyle, so that they do exercise every day. It’s a form of exercise as well as getting ready for battle whenever the call comes.”

The gatka was led by Khalsa School Regina, which teaches around 300 students the values of faith and language.

According to Singh, there are around 5,000 Sikhs in Regina. In Saskatchewan, he says between 10,000-12,000 people identify as Sikhs.