Religion and spirituality seem to be deeply ingrained into much of everyday life. Across this huge country, Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs seem to be represented everywhere. What has struck me most is not just the inclusion of religion in public life, but the color, depth of beauty and commitment to service demonstrated by the faithful.
I cannot say that I have a handle on the beliefs and history of Hinduism, but I can say that it is among the most colorful religions I have experienced. From the traditional dance performances at my host school in Mahe, to the temples around every block that I've seen in my couple days in the state of Tamil Nadu, to the three day festival that aligned with my stay in Pondicherry, where drumming, music, dancing, fireworks and many colored powdered faces and heads filled the days and nights, there seems to be a joy in celebration of this ancient faith.
I was introduced to the Sikh faith when I was partnered with Gurpreet Singh in 2017 through the ILEP program. His overview then was that the Sikh believe that there is just one god, and all things flow through him. After visiting two Sikh houses of worship, "gurudwaras," I started thinking of them as the original social justice warriors. Their history is full of stories of their ten Gurus and followers not just sticking up for the poor and marginalized against aggressive proselytizers, but, fighting and being martyred. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is among the largest gurudwaras, and it is as beautiful as any house of worship. But, what made the most impression on me is how service to the poor is a fundamental part of their faith. Below the gleaming, carpeted worship rooms is a maze of remarkably practical infrastructure designed to allow volunteers to continuously cook and serve meals to anyone, all day, every day. This is called the Langar. This even includes the shoe check, where volunteers line up to help you store your shoes while in the gurudwara, and even polish them if they're dirty.
I also went to Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib with Gurpreet and actually sat down to wash dishes for about an hour. It was a truly religious experience for me. I sat with Sikh men and women, young and old, washing metal plate after metal plate, while all around us the cogs of serving the Langar moved on with remarkable efficiency. It felt great to be participating in this service, and I am still impressed with how fundamental the Langar is to the faith. The audio portion of the short video someone took of me washing dishes features the constant signing from the Sikh holy book, along with the clangs and bangs of metal plates captures some of that feeling.
My own faith, Unitarian Universalism, also focuses on social justice, only without the requirement of theism or beards or turbans. Our church could learn a lot from the Langar.
The other ILEP fellow I visited is from Kashmir, where a majority of folks are Muslim. Waseem has three brothers, all of whom are extremely intelligent, and not afraid to delve into religion and politics at the drop of a hat. Not five minutes after being welcomed into his home in Baramula, Waseem's onlder brother engaged me in a conversation about theism and morality that ranged from Richard Dawkins, to St. Anselm, to Hamza Andreas Tzortzis. While my secular mind was not convinced that god is necessary for morality, it rounded out my religious education in India.
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