This Non-Profit Sikh Organisation Is Using Langar Aid To Help Refugees Around The World

[4Vikram]

For those of us in India, the concept of 'Langar' is pretty self-explanatory. It's a service of free food that is mainly distributed in Gurudwaras to those in need. Rations for 'Langar' service are provided by those who can afford donations and thus, Langars have come to be known as one of the good ways to contribute to charity if you want to help out people in need.

While this form of charity is already flourishing all over India, a non-profit Sikh organization by the name of Khalsa Aid has taken the concept of 'Langar' and applied it to provide relief all over the world. Be it a humanitarian crisis in Syria or disaster assistance calls in Bangladesh, their volunteers have been associated with relief efforts throughout the world for almost two decades.

 

© khalsaaid

Founded in 1999, the Khalsa Aid organization is based on the principles of selfless service and universal love. Their first mission assisted the victims of the war in Yugoslavia along the Albania-Yugoslavia border. Refugees were provided with food and shelter during the war and that is how the organization came into existence.

Recently, the Sikh volunteers were in the news for being the first responders in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma. The volunteers stationed themselves in the village of Tefnak in Cox's Bazar area which became a crossing point for the Muslim refugees.

Speaking to the Indian Express at the time, Amarpreet Singh, managing director, Khalsa Aid said, “It was our first day here today and we did a pre-assessment before launching a major relief operation. We had come prepared for providing relief to some 50,000 people, but there are more than three lakh refugees here. They are living without water, food, clothes and shelter. They are sitting wherever they can find a corner. It is raining, but people do not have anywhere to go. It is miserable to say the least. We will be providing them Langar food (community kitchen) and shelter. We are arranging tarpaulins but since the number of refugees have overwhelmingly exceeded our preparations, it can some time to make arrangements.”

© khalsaaid

The Rohingya crisis was termed as a classic case of ethnic cleansing sponsored by the state by many humanitarian commentators. Almost 176 villages in the Rakhine state were abandoned by the Rohingya Muslims in the wake of violence and mass killings.

Experiencing the suffering first hand, the aid group spokesperson committed to help the refugees till the situation eased on ground. “A camp can accommodate at least 50,000 people but in most of them there are more than one lakh refugees. But we are committed to run Langar here (community here) till the crisis is not over. The priority is to not let anyone sleep without food. Children are roaming without clothes and begging for food. Those who do not get space in camps are sitting along roads in hope of getting food from someone. Teknaf is almost 10 hours ride from the capital Dhaka from where we are ferrying all the material needed to prepare Langar. Connectivity issues and rain are creating hindrances but we are trying our best to provide food to the maximum people at the earliest. The Langar will continue here till crisis is not over and refugees continue to reach the border,” Amarpreet Singh told Indian Express.

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The work being done by those associated with Khalsa Aid is completely voluntary and not paid for. People usually take out time from their busy lives and contribute back to the society in some way or the other. One such volunteer story that reflects the impact of their work is that of Manraj Othi. Instead of going out partying, Othi decided to spend his birthday week back in 2016 serving the Katsikas refugee camp in Ionninna, Greece. Consisting of refugees from communities as diverse as Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, Yazidis and Kurds, Manraj served almost 1200 people with freshly cooked meals (Langar) in the camp. Community kitchens were set up for the refugees wherein they could cook what they wanted to eat. Volunteers like Othi are joining the organisation every day in order to help thousands of such war-torn families.

Here in India too, the group has had foot soldiers and volunteers working for the poor for more than a decade. Just a week back, almost 60 families living in slums of south Delhi were affected by a massive fire that burned everything. The team of volunteers on the ground helped those families by donating cooking utensils, cutlery, mosquito nets and tarpaulins.

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For the volunteers, the 'seva' has always been driven by the underlying principle of recognising the whole human race as one. Doing good by providing food and water to those in need, especially at a time when we are surrounded by so much hate, is how we as a society can change the narrative of hate and fear despite our differences. The Langar Aid, in that respect, is a humanitarian cause that's helping change the world, one serving at a time.

[Bhai]

veellendho poyi poyi aa thuraks ni help chestunnaru

[Idassamed]

1 hour ago, Bhai said:

veellendho poyi poyi aa thuraks ni help chestunnaru

Endho mari no avidia

[perugu_vada]

Gud job