Photo By Lisa Ferdinando | Musicians perform at a celebration of the Sikh new year, Vaisakhi, at the Pentagon,...... read more read more
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WASHINGTON -- With music, prayers, and words of faith, Sikhs celebrated Vaisakhi and their new year Friday at the Pentagon.
"Today we are truly blessed," said the Pentagon's deputy chaplain, Lt. Col. Claude Brittian, who led the event. The central theme of the celebration was "seva" or selfless service.
It is important for people of every faith to have the ability to freely celebrate their religion, he said.
"I believe that for me to be able to celebrate as a Christian, then I must stand up for the rights of others to celebrate in regards to their faith," Brittian told the guests, who included service members, families, Department of Defense employees, and other members of the Sikh community.
"I am a firm believer that I should not be the one who is explaining Sikhism to the rest of the world," he said. "I believe that those who practice their faith should have the opportunity to share their faith."
This is the second time the Pentagon held a Vaisakhi celebration, the chaplain said, remarking it is a proud and happy occasion to be able to celebrate the event with everyone attending.
The Vaisakhi event at the Pentagon is a "journey long-coming," Maj. Kamal Kalsi said. He noted people traveled from all over the nation and the world to be at the Pentagon to celebrate the event.
"It's to be said over and over and over, but it's such an honor and a privilege to be here today, and we couldn't have done this without the love and support of the chaplain's office," Kalsi said.
Sikhs in service to others
Sikhs in the armed forces are "never to flinch from stepping in front of the enemy to protect the poor, the weak and needy in this world," Kalsi said.
Shabads, or hymns, are important in the life of a Sikh. He recalled receiving two from his uncle when he told him he would be deploying to Afghanistan in 2011.
"When I shared this news with my uncle in Cleveland, Ohio, he handed me two pieces of paper, which I still keep with me in my wallet every day," Kalsi said.
Valarie Kaur, a media and strategy fellow at the Stanford Center of Internet and Society, paid tribute to all Sikhs past and present who have served in the military, and those who have served in protecting Sikh members of society.
Her grandfather, she said, followed seven generations before him and served in the military, fighting on the frontlines in World War II against Hitler's armies.
His British commander had requested he remove his turban, she said. He refused, saying the turban represented his faith, and he could not serve without faith.
"So he went to war and when German aircraft swooped down and shot his best friend, he did not run," she said. "He wrapped his friend's wounds with the cloth of his turban and brought him home, because seva means leaving no one behind."
Commitment to seva
Vaisakhi marks the spring harvest in Punjab, the Sikh homeland, Simran Jeet Singh said. He is a senior religion fellow for the Sikh Coalition and a doctorate candidate at Columbia University.
"Vaisakhi is also mentioned in some of the earliest Sikh manuscripts, which tell us the founder of the Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak, was born on this day," Singh said.
Additionally, it marks the day the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh formalized and passed on authority to the Sikh community, Singh said.
When looking at the reasons for celebrating Vaisakhi, the strand that holds everything together is a "commitment to engaging with the world around us," best represented in seva, Singh said.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2015 16:12 |
| Story ID: | 162191 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 366 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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