'Langar Hall (free kitchen)'

This is a drawing of The 'Langar Hall (free kitchen'). Which is for my 'Sikh art' exhibition which is taking place this Sunday, between the 2nd to 15th November at the Winns Gallery in Walthamstow.

The institution of the Sikh Langar or free kitchen’ was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of ‘religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status’. Which was a revolutionary concept in the caste-ordered society of 16th-century India. In addition to equality, the tradition of langar expresses the ethics of ‘sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of humankind’.

Every ‘Gurdwara’ has a Langar attached to it where food is served to anyone without any charge. The term ‘Langar’ is also used for the communal meal served at the ‘Gurdwaras’.The food served in the ‘Langar’ must be simple, so as to prevent wealthy congregations turning it into a feast that shows off their superiority.

Only ‘vegetarian food’ is served in the Gurdwaras. This ensures that any visitor to the Gurdwara, whatever the dietary restrictions of their faith, can eat in the ‘Langar’.The meal may include chappati, dall (pulses), vegetables and rice pudding. Fish and eggs are counted as meat and excluded.