As I sat on my flight back to Los Angeles, I thought back over all the amazing places I had visited on my trip to Europe. Certain events immediately popped into my head: exploring windmills in Holland, bike riding through the streets of Belgium, the view of Rome from atop St. Peter’s Basilica, and window shopping in Zurich. And although the list goes on, I kept coming back to the day I visited Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Paris. It might seem strange that the afternoon I spent at a gurdwara would be a highlight of my trip abroad, given that I can go to a gurdwara any time I want back home, but this visit showed me that joining sangat in another country can be a humbling and empowering experience. It all comes down to the context of my visit. Given that I do not know French, I had been struggling to find my way around Paris and had become quite frustrated. It did not help that I was having trouble finding appetizing vegetarian options and that due to a packing mishap, I had to buy new walking shoes at double the price of what they would have cost me in the United States. On top of that, I received no sympathy from the store clerk, who replied “welcome to Paris,” when I mentioned the price hike. Needless to say, I was tired and a bit annoyed. With one afternoon left in Paris before I was scheduled to travel to the next city on my itinerary, I found myself outside the doors of Gurdwara Singh Sabha. From the exterior, the Gurdwara looked just like a regular building in a small neighborhood, but as soon as I stepped inside, I felt like I had just arrived home. All around me were familiar sights: the sound of kirtan, sevadars cooking langar, aunties chattering away, and little kids running around. All of my frustrations flew out the window as soon as I sat in the Darbar Sahib and closed my eyes, finally feeling at peace after days of running around. After clearing my mind, I made my way down the stairs to the langar hall. As soon as I sat down, someone brought me a plate and filled it with food: sholay paturay and dhahi. Although I had had sholay paturay countless times before, never had they tasted so good. In fact, looking back, I can honestly say that this langar ranked at the top of my “Europe foods” list, above French crepes, Belgium chocolates, and even Italian gelato. I realize now that this experience was so memorable for me – and the langar so delicious – because I was not just eating another meal; I was partaking in guru ka langar. Although I conceptually knew why we serve langar at the gurdwara, I now finally understood for myself why it is such a fundamental part of the experience of going to the gurdwara. For the first time in my life I was a weary traveler partaking in langar for the reason it was instituted by Guru Nanak: to nurture individuals both physically and spiritually. In the end, I learned more than I ever could have imagined about other countries, cultures, and ways of life during my trip; but most importantly, I learned something about my religion that I never could have learned if I had stayed home: the foundations of Sikhism that the ten Gurus established for us are here to support us no matter where we end up going. Kiran Dhillon, LDP c/o 2012
