London, Ont., Sikh community holds the city's first-ever Khalsa parade

Thousands of people from London's Sikh community gathered at Victoria Park on Sunday for the city's first ever Khalsa parade.

The parade, also known as Nagar Kirtan, marks the Sikh new year, said Karamjit Singh of the London Sikh Society (LSS), the group that organized the event. 

"The Sikh community in London is growing very fast and on that basis we decided to organize the parade here because we want the community to celebrate itself," he said. 

Before the London event, people were forced to travel to Toronto, Brampton or Mississauga to attend a Khalsa parade.  

"We want to show the community in London that we exist and we enjoy giving back," said Gajinder Chopra, an LSS member. "We are celebrating our faith and the community loves it."

The park was filled with food stalls, activities, and a designated area for people to pray. There were also stations set up with literature on Sikhism and its roots in Canada. 

Serving community members

More than 20 different food stalls gave out free traditional meals to attendees, Singh said. Serving the community is an important tenet of the Sikh faith and is referred to as 'Seva' in Punjabi, Chopra added

"We do our Seva by giving out food or helping in emergencies. Selfless service in which you don't ask for anything in return, is very important to our society and faith," Chopra said.

According to Singh, there's a large influx of the Sikh population in cities such as London and Woodstock. Singh estimates about 200 Sikh families called London home two years ago, but that number has increased to nearly 4,000 this year, he said. 

Simardeep Kaur Dhillon, 14, has attended Nagar Kirtans for as long as she can remember. But she and her family always had to travel to Brampton to take part in the festivities, she said 

"Due to COVID, the Kirtan was postponed so this is my first one I'm attending in a few years," Dhillon said. "I feel really happy that we finally have one here because I can get together with my people right here at home."

The busiest stall at the event was a turban tying station which had lineups of people all day. Jaspinder Gill spent hours tying turbans on several attendees. 

"It's a form of pride for us, so when we tie it for someone, we want to ensure they respect it when they remove it," he said. "This is a very big event for all Sikhs and it's not only about us, there's people from other cultures here learning about us and everyone is enjoying."

LSS members plan to do multiple Khalsa parades annually starting next year, they said. 

"This is the first time we've done it so we were very nervous, but moving forward, we want there to be a bigger place to showcase what our faith and religion is all about," Chopra said.