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. | ||||
View As Slideshow >>  /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.
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Enter the Golden Temple complex by any gate and there before you is the famous golden dome, but come in through the east, and you will also be greeted by the sights, sounds and smells of community service.
A daily army of volunteers, called sewadars, can be seen peeling and chopping onions and ginger or washing the close to 40,000 stainless steel thalis used in the langar, the free public kitchen offered by every Sikh temple to its visitors. Situated in Amritsar, one of India's holiest sites, the Guru ka Langar is perhaps the most well-attended community kitchen in the world, regularly feeding some 100,000 visitors a day.
Prior to visiting the Golden Temple, I was aware of its cultural and spiritual importance for Sikhs, but what really intrigued me was the langar itself. Many Sikh teachings are practiced through the system of langar. Food coming from the langar is sacred; in fact, the food prepared by devotees, volunteers and priests is considered a holy sacrament.
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.
Sikhs operate langars all day, turning out huge quantities of food
Temple kitchens operate around the clock, but I decided to rise early to join in the day's main food preparation. As I walked barefoot on the chilled marble floors, devotional hymns echoed throughout the complex, but the chorus was distinctly domestic. Throughout the kitchen complex, 750 daily volunteers — men, women and children — worked alongside the 475 permanent volunteers, having been assigned kitchen tasks suitable to their ages and skills. The fourth guru, Guru Ram Das, encouraged his followers to always be ready to do service for others. By taking part in the running of the langar, whether rolling chapatis; serving prasad, orblessed food; or washing dishes, Sikhs believe this self-sacrifice for the common good will help do away with ego and provide oneself with a sense of humility.
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As I made my way into the vast provisions storeroom, an elderly gentleman waved me over and handed me a warm cup of chai. We spoke briefly about what brought me to Amritsar and my interest in how cooking shapes communities. He shared with me, how, more than 500 years ago, the institution of the langar was introduced by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. The story goes that in an effort to teach his teenage son about hard work and responsibility, Guru Nanak's father gave him 20 rupees to start a business. Guru Nanak was deeply troubled by the poor and destitute he encountered on his journey to the local commercial center and decided to use this money to prepare and hand out food at no cost. Upon returning home, his father asked to see what profit his son had made with his money. Guru Nanak explained that his nourishing of the needy was the most rewarding thing he had done in his life. He then set off on a journey of enlightenment and self-discovery that led him to establish the Sikh religion.
As he spread his beliefs, Guru Nanak decided that regardless of one's background, whether rich or poor; high caste or untouchable; Hindu, Muslim, or agnostic, he would share food from his kitchen with them. Arguably, these beliefs made Guru Nanak the first Indian prophet to defy caste rules and promote the elimination of social barriers. In essence, he was advocating profound social change through the simple act of sharing a meal.
I thanked the elderly man for the fruitful conversation and tea, and continued through the kitchen maze. In a series of rooms, younger Sikh women sat on the ground kneading and hand rolling the atta dough into chapatis while the older generation gossiped and gathered the chapatis coming off of the conveyor belts of the three adapted, imported pita bread machines. In the hot, dark main kitchen, regular temple staff sautéed vegetables in car-tire-sized cast ironkarhais, a high-sided, wok-shaped pan. Full-bearded, barefoot cooks navigated a sea of simmering lentils in vast wood fired cauldrons.
To meet the demands of essentially feeding a city each day, a kitchen manager explained that a rotating vegetarian menu is served, highlighting local and seasonal produce. Each meal service offers two vegetable dishes, dal, rice, chapatis and a sweet. Each day, the temple goes through 220 pounds of rice, 3,500 pounds of lentils, 22,000 pounds of wheat, 7,700 pounds of vegetables and 450 liters of pure desi ghee. The expenses to cover the langar costs are met from temple funds and donations.
Hungry and tired, I entered the sparse dining hall and sat cross-legged with other peaceful pilgrims in pangat, communally sitting in the same line and eating together. Volunteers weaved in between the lines, ladling food from buckets onto each thali. Historically, the custom of communal dining has been applied to everyone, and to this day all visitors are encouraged and welcomed to partake in the free kitchen to reinforce equality and universal humanity. It is the Sikh tradition of pehle pangat pichle sangat, or first we sit and eat; then we pray.
Punjabi Carrots and Kohlrabi (Gajar Knol-Knol Subzi)
Serves 4
I find this recipe to be extremely versatile and like to use different combinations of seasonal vegetables. Here is a more typical vegetable combination, but do not hesitate to try any other of your favorite vegetables, such as beets, green or yellow beans, pumpkin, squash and zucchini. You may have to change the cooking times depending on the combination of the vegetables you have chosen.
Ingredients
2 cups or 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1½ cups or 3 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1 to 2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¾ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ cup water
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. If the kohlrabi comes with it leaves on trim, wash and thinly slice them.
2. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the turmeric, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and cook for another minute.
4. Toss in the carrots and kohlrabi, season with salt and cook for one minute.
5. Pour in the water, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Check and stir in the julienned kohlrabi leaves, if using.
6. If you feel that some more moisture is needed add a couple of tablespoons of water. Recover and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
7. Uncover and garnish with the garam masala, a pinch of black pepper and chopped coriander.
Top photo: Women hand-roll chapatis. Credit: Cameron Stauch
( hari krishnamurthy K. HARIHARAN)"think of them as Sand paper.
They Scratch & hurt you,
but in the end you are polished and they are finished. ''
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