Langar at Golden Temple - Kitchen that feeds 100,000 daily

[Swami Tatparananda]

WISH BELUR MATH HAD SOMETHING LIKE THIS!!

Two hundred thousand rotis (Indian flat bread), 1.5 tonnes of dal (lentil soup) and free food served to 100,000 people everyday are what makes the free kitchen run at the Golden Temple in the western Indian city of Amritsar stand apart. By all measures, the kitchen (called langar in Punjabi ) is one of the largest free kitchens to be run anywhere in the world. The concept of langars was initiated centuries ago by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion. Sunday, November 17, is his 545th birth anniversary. At the Langar, no one goes hungry - and everybody gets a hot meal regardless of caste, creed and religion. All Sikh Gurudwaras (places of worship) have langars, but the one at Golden Temple - Sikhs' holiest shrine - has little parallel. “Anyone can eat for free here and on an average we serve food to 100,000 people. On weekends and special occasions double the numbers of people visit the langar. The langar never stops and on an average 7,000 kg of wheat flour, 1,200 kg of rice, 1,300 kg of lentils, 500 kg of ghee (clarified butter) is used in preparing the meal every day,” says Harpreet Singh, manager of this huge kitchen. “The free kitchen uses firewood, LPG gas and electronic bread makers for the cooking and we use around 100 LPG cylinders and 5,000 kilograms of firewood every day,” he adds. The kitchen is run by 450 staff, helped by hundreds of other volunteers. Sanjay Arora, 46, from New Delhi, comes to volunteer at the langar two days a month. “This is seva (service) for me. I feel happy after doing this service. This is not just free food because here you forget all the differences that separate humans from each other,” he says. Volunteers also wash the 300,000 plates, spoons and bowls used in feeding the people. The food is vegetarian and the expenses are managed through donations from all over the world.  The yearly budget of the langar runs into hundreds of millions.

/Showkat Shafi The "langar" or free kitchen at Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar is perhaps the world’s largest free eatery. The Langar or free kitchen was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak /Showkat Shafi Around one hundred thousand (100,000) people visit the langar every day and the number increases on weekends and special days. /Showkat Shafi People from all over the world especially " Sikhs" visit Golden temple at least once in their life time. /Showkat Shafi Everybody is welcome at the langar, no one is turned away. It works on the principle of equality between people of the world regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. /Showkat Shafi People sit on the floor together as equals and eat the same simple food at the eating hall of the Golden Temple langar. /Showkat Shafi Langar teaches the etiquette of sitting and eating in a community situation. /Showkat Shafi People from any community and faith can serve as volunteers. /Showkat Shafi The lines of status, caste and class vanish at the langar. Everybody is treated as equals. /Showkat Shafi The meal served is hot but simple: comprising roti (flat Indian bread), lentil soup and rice. /Showkat Shafi The utensils are washed in three rounds to ensure that the plates are perfectly clean to be again used. /Showkat Shafi Running the kitchen also means washing and cleaning thousands of plates, bowls and spoons.    /Showkat Shafi Some 450 staff and hundreds of volunteers help to run the kitchen. /Showkat Shafi Five thousand kilograms of fire wood is used every day for preparing the meals at this langar, that runs 24/7. /Showkat Shafi A Sikh volunteer prepares the dal (lentil soup) that will be served for the meals at the langar. /Showkat Shafi Around 200,000 rotis are prepared every day at the langar which is served to the people. /Showkat Shafi Wheat flour being put in a contraption that acts like a dough maker. The dough will be used for making rotis (Indian flat bread). /Showkat Shafi Rotis (Indian flatbread) are cooked over electric machine . /Showkat Shafi Women play an important role in the preparation of meals. Volunteers make stacks of rotis that will be served at the free kitchen.

[Sabuj Biswas]

Wahe Guruji Da Khalsa, Wahe Guruji di Fateh.

Maharaj, doesn't it in-sync with Swamiji's dream of making so much food that the water of Ganges will turn white with the starch.

Probably the basic problem at Belur is the lack of funds for taking an initiative that large, for Golden-Temple is the pilgrimage for one of the major sect of religion at large.

But we are hopeful that the same materializes at Belur at large, after-all, our Annapurna never had let anyone go without food all through her mortal life.

Please accept my pranam.

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Regards,

Sabuj Biswas
Copy Editor
Healthkart.com

"Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity. ~ Swami Vivekananda"

[Sucheta Ghosh]

||Jai Maa||

Many thanks Sabuj for this quote by Swamiji ! Indeed was looking for that inside the English translation of Swami Shishya Samvad. As if Holy Mother has given this opportunity to share some information with you all.

Swamiji once told to Shishya (Saratchandra Chakraborti) that "do it for me, open an Anna-Satra here in such a way that the water of Ganges become white with the starch of the rice prepared for the Anna-Satra. " 

Personally feel that an excellent service is going on everyday at Belur math in spite of all limitations, but the other centres of RKSM also contribute to this dream with their own limited capacities. 

In Kolkata at Nivedita School, Bagbazar, at the other side of Ganges, Matajis of Ramakrishna Sarada Math are running an Anna-Satra for 3 years. Pravrajika Devaprana Mataji quoted the same remark of Swamiji while explaining the motivation of this activity. This was started with the activities with the charity of food to around 10 people, now it has grown to around 100 people. 

We all who already visited Baghbazar, we know that there are still several slums in that area of Baghbazar-Shobhabazar-Ahiritola, also there are many other poor people who live inside temporary houses on the side of railways etc. This benevolent event donates food once in a day, and six days per week (except Sunday). This activity is still a small scale activity towards the dream of Swamiji.

Will try to post some photos of this Anna-Satra activity later. 

We request all to come forward and donate liberally, to help us in this noble endeavour. All donations paid in cash or by cheque / demand draft (drawn in favour of “RAMAKRISHNA SARADA MISSION” payable at Kolkata).

The letter should be as follows:

Date:

To

The General Secretary

Ramakrishna Sarada Mission

Dakshineswar

Kolkata-700076

India

Respected Mataji,

I wish to donate $ / uk------------ (------- US dollars/UK Pounds only) towards the Project of Annasatra at Nivedita School undertaken by the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Baghbazar.

I hope that you will kindly accept the same.

With respectful regards,

Yours sincerely,

Name, Address .:

  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It may be posted to the following address:

Pravrajika Bhavaprana

Samvit

C-8A Hauz Khas

New Delhi-110016

India

One from Kolkata or visitor at Kolkata may also deposit his/her benevolent contribution at our nearest branch centre at Kolkata or Dakshinewar on the account of this great cause.

Jai Maa,

Sucheta 

[Shashank Chowdhury]

Jai Thakur.  If the account details are given it would help in sending contribution through electronic transfer.

Pronam to all.

Shawshanko

[Sucheta Ghosh]

||Jai Maa||

Many thanks for this response! As soon as I know that will let you all know.

Jai Ma,

Sucheta

[little prince]

SANGAT AND PANGAT - In order to implement his teaching Guru Nanak brought a social and religious revolution by providing a platform of SANGAT and PANGAT where people would sit together, pray together, and eat together without any caste, colour, creed, or faith. Nobody was considered inferior or superior regardless of his birth and wealth.

idle people looking for a free meal are to be discouraged

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little prince
الامير الصغير

Life gives you a 100 reasons to cry and I, a 1000 to smile

الحياة تمنحك مائة سبب للبكاء، أنا أمنحك ألف سبب للإبتسامة 

[Satwik Joglekar]

Langar in any Gurudwara is a unique experience. My wife being Sikh we occassionally visit the Gurudwara on a Sunday and enjoy the Shabad-Kirtan followed by Langar. Apart from most simple and delicious preparations the best part is doing the Seva. One can truly see people, irrespective of their social status, engaged in various duties like cutting and cooking vegetables; making rotis, rice etc... even the cleaning and washing the plates and spoons and glasses. The experience one derives through this Seva is indiscribable.

 

Jai Maa!!!

 

 

May we follow the spiritual path shown by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda to reach God, the goal of our lives, and by His power help others also in their struggle to reach Him.

 

Satwik..........

+91 98809-18153

Skype: satwikj