December 23, 2025
We had spent the morning with a new guide on our Food and Faith Tour, and he was okay, but he spoke way too fast and his accent was hard for us to understand. We were very happy to get our first guide, Sajeet, back. He was amazing, in both presentation style and content.
Our first stop was the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, one of the the largest Sikh temples in Delhi and associated with the eighth (of ten) Sikh Gurus, Guru Har Krishan (not related to Hare Krishnas). This Guru is known for healing many people suffering from cholera (or smallpox, depending on whom you ask) when he stayed in this spot in 1664, a disease that he himself contracted and died from that year. "Bangla" is derived from the word "bungalow" and refers to the original structure that stood on this site that was owned by a Raja, or prince. Guru Har Krishan stayed at the bungalow during his visit, and sometime thereafter it was converted into a place of worship to honor him.
As in the Sikh temple we visited earlier in the day, there was a helpful sign listing the basic tenets of Sikhism, along with several other posters that gave additional information.
However, the most impressive part of the Gurdwara is the Langar, a free community kitchen that provides meals for anyone who needs to eat. By the way, the practice of "Langar" was initiated by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He lived from 1469 to 1539 in present-day Pakistan.
The Langar operation at this Gurdwara is so huge as to be almost beyond comprehension. It offers free meals to anyone who walks in, 24 hours a day every day of the year. In times of crisis, it can also provide shelter and assistance to those in need. During the Covid-19 epidemic, this Gurdwara reached out to serve healthcare workers and those under quarantine.
The Langar operation at this Gurdwara is so huge as to be almost beyond comprehension. It offers free meals to anyone who walks in, 24 hours a day every day of the year. In times of crisis, it can also provide shelter and assistance to those in need. During the Covid-19 epidemic, this Gurdwara reached out to serve healthcare workers and those under quarantine.
Under normal circumstances, the Langar serves an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 nutritious, flavorful vegetarian meals daily, which translates to 11 to 14 million meals per year. And during religious holidays, the daily number can be as high as 100,000 meals per day. The meals are funded primarily through donations from members of the Sikh community and local individuals and organizations. Sikhs are encouraged to tithe (a donation of one-tenth of their income) to support the Gurdwara. The donations may be contributed as cash or as donations of ingredients or other supplies needed in the kitchen.
Our guide, not a Sikh himself, told us that he once asked a Sikh why they serve everyone the way they do. The response was something like, "Because this man (or woman) is my brother (or sister)." Christians like me who advocate "Love your brother as yourself" have a lot to learn from the Sikhs.
To get an idea about how this much food is created on a daily basis, see this Reddit documentary.
We had been impressed by the smaller Langar operation we visited earlier in the day, but this kitchen makes food for four or five times as many people. To do so, the process has been mechanized, although many volunteers are still needed for various parts of the preparation and to operate the machinery.
Roti, the flatbread used basically as a spoon to scoop up the wet dishes, can be made as fast as 2,000 rotis/hour using their specially designed machine.
But volunteers also help make the roti by hand so that they can have the experience of serving their brothers and sisters.
Huge vats of daal (a lentil dish) have to be moved with a forklift, as do pallets of raw ingredients.
Those coming for a meal might have to wait in line for an hour or two, but no one is given preference over another. Everyone is equal, regardless of faith, caste, social position, or gender, and they sit side-by-side on the floor to receive their metal plates and then to be served their food. Anyone can volunteer to help prepare and serve the food.
Cleanliness is important to the Sikhs, and floors are washed in between each seating.
We had been impressed by the smaller Langar operation we visited earlier in the day, but this kitchen makes food for four or five times as many people. To do so, the process has been mechanized, although many volunteers are still needed for various parts of the preparation and to operate the machinery.
On the day and time we were there, they were at about half capacity, and the Langar was operating like a well-oiled machine. They make it look simple.
We had one more place to go, the Raj Ghat, a memorial in New Delhi dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It is where his body was cremated on January 31, 1948, the day following his assassination. The Raj Ghat is a large, peaceful garden park on the banks of the Yamuna River. I was a little surprised we hadn't seen anything related to Gandhi up until this point, but then, would a tourist see much of any past political leader in the US outside of a museum dedicated to that person? Then again, Gandhi, as our guide Sajeet put it, has become much more than a person in India. He is an idea, and that idea permeates the culture.
Near the entrance to the park, a line of trees of various species create an interesting border. Each tree was gifted to the Indian government by a foreign power in memorium of their slain leader. For example, the one below left, an Anthocephalus cadamba, was planted by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Along the way are markers like this one that have pithy Gandhi quotes engraved in both Hindi and English:
"Selfishness keeps us worrying forever."
"Do not listen to rumour, but, if you do, do not believe it."
"The soul dries up without the company of the good."
"A word uttered from a pure heart never goes in vain."
The memorial can also be viewed from the bridge, which is where we went.
Gandhi's ashes were divided up into a number of urns that were sent all over India for memorial services, and ultimately most of the ashes were immersed at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati Rivers, a sacred place for Hindus.
There is a Gandhi Museum, but we didn't go in. I think it may have been closed for some reason, and/or we were out of time, but we stopped to pay our respects at this bronze statue. Carved into the base is a quote from Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see." Sajeet joined us for a photo.
The memorial can also be viewed from the bridge, which is where we went.
When Gandhi died, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru broadcast this announcement over the radio:
"Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of our nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country."
A million people were part of the five-mile procession that lead from the spot where Gandhi was shot by a Hindu nationalist to Raj Ghat. Another million watched the procession pass by. Gandhi's body was on display in the vehicle that carried him, and the vehicle was pulled by 200 people holding on to four ropes. His body was cremated according to Hindu customs on the spot marked now by a simple black marble platform inscribed with what are believed to be Gandhi's last words: Hey Ram ("Oh God").
Gandhi's ashes were divided up into a number of urns that were sent all over India for memorial services, and ultimately most of the ashes were immersed at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati Rivers, a sacred place for Hindus.
There is a Gandhi Museum, but we didn't go in. I think it may have been closed for some reason, and/or we were out of time, but we stopped to pay our respects at this bronze statue. Carved into the base is a quote from Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see." Sajeet joined us for a photo.
And that was it for Delhi. We went back to the fabulous Imperial Hotel for one last sleep. Bob said farewell to his friend the doorman.
The next morning we were picked up by our expert driver and taken to the Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch a flight to Varanasi.
Of course we had to sit around in the airport for an hour or two, but the airport is a great place to explore the culture, such as a Burger King Whopper made with chicken instead of beef (forbidden by Hindu dietary laws) and a VitaminWater machine full of Coca-Cola products.
It was difficult to find Coke Zero in India, so we were delighted to see this machine proclaiming the availability of a NEW kind of Coke. But even in that machine the ratio of Coke Zero to everything else was not impressive.
(Bob) Sajeet was a great guide, one of our best ever. The Ghandi Memorial was one of the few places we visited in India that had personal significance to me because of what I knew about Ghandi before-hand. The Sikh Temple was significant because because of the very evident charity being practiced on a daily basis. They put most Christians to shame.
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