Vaisakhi in Hounslow – Sunday thirtieth March 2008
Vaisakhi is the normal New Yr and harvest pageant of the Punjab in India and Pakistan and gained added significance for Sikhs, the bulk inhabitants within the space when at Vaisakhi in 1699 Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, based the Sikh nation with the institution of the Khalsa Panth.
Vaisahki is definitely the thirteenth or 14th of April annually, however the pageant is well known over a number of weeks at completely different Gurdwaras. You’ll be able to learn extra about Vaisakhi and see a few of my earlier photos from numerous Nagar Kirtan (Sikh processions) on My London Diary posts from 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and though they observe an identical sample there are variations. In Hounslow the occasion appeared to me to have extra lively participation by ladies and women than in a few of the others.
I’d beforehand photographed the celebrations at most of of the Gurdwaras round London as part of a bigger undertaking on spiritual celebrations in London, however had someway missed out on overlaying the pageant in Hounslow.
I’d at all times loved photographing Vaisahki because the Sikhs have been at all times very hospitable – I used to be made very welcome and guided and inspired to take images and Hounslow was no exception. I wrote a reasonably lengthy description of the occasion on My London Dairy and included a few of my private historical past within the space the place I – and my father – grew up.
The procession started on the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha which was constructed on the location of the dye manufacturing unit the place I had my first full-time job – and the place most of the shop-floor staff have been Sikh. On the route numerous individuals had arrange stalls providing free meals and delicate drinks to everybody within the procession – and I loved their hospitality, however was quickly too full to have the ability to settle for extra.
It went alongside streets that have been very acquainted to me, previous the clinic the place I used to be weighed and measured as a child and my mom was given free orange juice and cod-liver oil (which I didn’t thank them for.) Previous the nursery college, Main Drake Brockman’s Academy, from which I used to be expelled aged 4, previous the varsity my father left in 1913 on the age of 14 (although he wouldn’t recognise it now) on to the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha the place the procession halted for extra celebrations earlier than persevering with again to its place to begin.
Way more – and lots of extra photos at Vaisakhi Celebration in Hounslow
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Tags: pageant, free meals, Gurdwara, Guru Gobind Singh, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, harvest, hospitality, Hounslow, Khalsa, Khalsa Panth, London, London Pictures, Nagar Kirtan, New Yr, peter Marshall, Sikh, Sikh pageant, Spring, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Vaisakhi, Vaisakhi prcession
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