After washing his hands and feet in the cool pool, Avtar Gidda would escape the relentless heat of the June sun in the tranquility of the temple.
There he would sit in a line with the men of the Indian city of Phagwara: young and old, rich and poor. Casts were thrown aside under the Sikh temple's ancient roof, farmers and businesses men were all alike. And that's the lesson from the fifth Guru, Guru Arjun Dev Ji.
"Equality," Gidda said. "Every man and woman, we're all equal."
On Saturday (June 22), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Squamish Sikh community will celebrate the anniversary of the martyrdom of the fifth Guru. In 1606, Guru Arjun Dev Ji was tortured and executed when he refused to renounce his religion. Despite being boiled and forced to sit on a hot cauldron, Guru Arjun Dev Ji spoke of peace, Gidda said. He rebuffed the use of violence against violence, he noted.
His death marked the first martyr among the Sikhs. To celebrate his teachings, the community comes to together to share food and pass on the story, Gidda said. At approximately 10:30 a.m. a parade will set out from the Sikh Temple at 37947 Fifth Ave., travelling downtown to the O'Siyam Pavilion. At the park, food will be shared.
"We believe in the giving and the sharing of food with everybody," Gidda said, noting the tradition stems to the idea of equality.
Gidda remembers the cold sugared water he sipped back during celebrations while living with his family in the Punjab region. Families poured onto the streets to honour the Guru's death. Gidda would hunt out the sticky sweets piled on giant trays.
Since moving to Canada, the celebration has taken on a deeper meaning, Gidda said. Now in a religious minority, he said he feels it's even more important to teach others about his beliefs to promote understanding.
"What we are doing is giving thanks," he said, adding a big part of that is the freedoms Canadians share.
