Large Sports Day Turnout Brings Out the Fun of Vaisakhi

 

 

 

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By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: If you grew up in North India, and especially in the rural parts of the Punjab and Haryana, Vaisakhi was an eagerly awaited day as farmers gave jubilation for the end of winter and harvest their fields. Hindus celebrate the beginning of a New Year and Sikhs commemorate the establishment of the Khalsa. Along with its advent comes a feeling of liberation and excuse to have fun, call it Spring Fever with a passion for Punjabis.

Event committee members, volunteers and Board members at the Sikh National Center’s Sports Day, April 13.

And this passionate feeling of fun-filled abandonment, along with reverence to the day’s deep religious significance, was on display at the Sikh National Center’s Vaisakhi Sports Day held at the huge tract of land off Beltway 8 between Gessner and Fairbanks-North Houston where an estimated 2,500 people attended the day long activities on Sunday, April 13.

The 20-acre site has been the focus of most of the Sikh community’s efforts for the past 15 years as a master-planned center that would house a Gurudwara as well as a boarding school, auditorium, museum, library, pavilion and residence for priests. During this time, through the dedicated efforts of a core, determined committee, the Sikh community has been able to raise money for the project through annual events at the site and donation drives.

This year’s Vaisakhi celebrations brought together nearly $30,000 in donations at the Sri Akhand Path Bhog and Kiratan Diwan held in the morning at the metal frame building that currently houses the Guru Granth Sahib. Two days earlier, on Friday, April 11, the Sri Akhand Path Arambh was held in the morning.

After the religious services on Sunday, a langar of daal, kaddi, chawal and roti was served until almost till 3pm and pizza, gol gape, jalebis, masala dosa made in the kitchen in the back of the steel building, while more than 20 volunteers helped. Most of the crowd spilled out all day long to the sports and games that had been arranged over the open field and under the steel open-sided basketball court.

Many young people stayed on for hours to play basketball, volleyball and a tug-of-war and the younger ones enjoyed rides and games. Sim Bhullar, a 7 foot 5 inch, 22 year-old Indo-Canadian Sikh college basketball player at New Mexico State University attended the event, dwarfing the rest of the people who stopped to pose for pictures with him. Many other people from across the state also came to the event.

The event committee was ecstatic about the turnout and donations and spokesmen Manohar Singh Mann and Bhupinder Singh said they were busy planning the next event after the Vaisakhi program (this coming Saturday) for the newly formed Punjab Sports and Culture Club. It promises to be an entertainment event at the Sam Houston Racetrack in late June, featuring five out of town performers, dinner and several exhibit booths and will be free to the public.