Feeki chaa or meethi chaa ? .. The point to which we abuse langar system

[jkvlondon]

3 hours ago, Akalifauj said:

People can come and consume langar without judgement of how much they eat.  The problem rises when people don't consume all the langar they had put in their plate and throw it out.  Also another food waste is when someone does Langar and their is leftovers.  The leftovers could be served the next morning.  But the person doing langar on the next morning doesnt use the night before langar.  Instead they expect the family who did it the night before to throw it away and they will cook their own langar.  There is no common sense.  when it comes to the actual meaning of doing langar, serving the sangat.  The family holds up walls fully engaged in gossip.  Serving the sangat is not easy and they get lazy thinking the sangat will come to them to get more langar.  People who are doing the langar need to drop their lazy attitudes and serve the sangat.  This means going up and down the lines of the seated sangat and asking if they need anything else. This also goes for the sangat.  Stop being lazy and serve the langar or help in a different way by cleaning dishes or help moving oversized pots. There can never be enough servers in the Guru's langar.  

when we've done langars for family events all the extra  langar was sent to homes, given to granthis  or used by ourselves to avoid the sin of throwing it down the sewer system ( I cannot believe someone tried to make out it was like doing jal parvaan) . The langar should be given in smaller portions so no wastage , if people need more they can get no problems. If we all went with the mentality to just eat enough to take the edge off the hunger, it would be good for us and the langar concept. Sure rich people can eat but do we really need to eat langar if we are not in need of it just because it is pehle pangat picche sangat? I'm sure people have gone straight to darbar hall without langar many times because of the lack of need.

when I was a teen and kid it was normal not to have canteen counters with serving stations , people were seated like guests and the food was brought to them after the thalis  also relays of people with baltis , jugs and baskets/bowls of parshadey would ask sangat if they needed anything , nothing was too much hassle. This was showing respect and attention to sangat , now it is like a conveyer belt mentality ...big difference.

I agree about the stupidity of the wastage of langar just because someone else made it ...seen the stubbornness of some too many times

[jkvlondon]

17 minutes ago, Preeet said:

Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh, ji

(I'm responding to the bold) How do you feel about Prashad napkins being thrown in the garbage? Personally, it makes me feel really bad, and if I receive a napkin with Prashad, then I take the napkin home with me & wait for the day when my family does agan bhet of our hairs that came out of the Sri Kanga Sahib ji. Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh

agreed it is for us to use our minds , we were told even a kinka of degh shouldn't be dropped either when when giving or receiving so what do you say to people who don't even think that way?

[simran345]

1 hour ago, Preeet said:

Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh, ji

Mhmm, agreed. I think they should make a separate exclusive bin for those napkins or just not allowing napkins. In earlier times, I doubt that they handed out napkins for Prashad! I guess some people may use napkins for taking Prashad home to distribute it among others, but they probably can take a bag with them to the Sri Gurdwara Sahib ji. Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh

Separate bin, is a good idea. But the bag would be same as the napkin, that would also go in the bin after the karah parsad is consumed. 

In regards to not wasting any, whether it's karah parsad or langar, one should always ask for what they can manage, not receive loads only to be binned afterwards. I always stop the sevadars before they serve me and tell them how much of what I need, instead of them piling up. 

[Jonny101]

 Diabetic people asking about fiki chah and mitti chah is understandable since it is their health issue. But some here have made good points about langar abuse. Too many non Sikhs coming to Gurdware and treating it as a free food restaurant.

 

That's not all. Even our own people are forgetting the real meaning of langar Seva. It's suppose to be for poverty stricken people or for devotees of God as the Gurus had done it or great Gursikhs like Baba Nidhan Singh ji had done for Sangats visiting Sri Hazur Sahib. 

 

Now our people are feeding food to people who don't even require this Seva like like university students. If that isn't wastage of food and resources then what is? This is called ਰੱਜਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਰਜਉਣਾ (feeding those who are already satiated)

 

And this is just one point. Why are so many Gurdware in the West installing chairs and benches in the hazuri of Guru Maharaj? The original idea was that it was for handicaps and real elderly people who are physically unable to sit on the floor. But today I am seeing most of the people sitting on those chairs and benches are perfectly OK and can sit on the floor but they choose to do be'adbi of Guru ji by sitting on those chairs. Many of times they are mid-aged and not even elderly! Too many people taking advantage of privileges.

[jkvlondon]

35 minutes ago, Jonny101 said:

 Diabetic people asking about fiki chah and mitti chah is understandable since it is their health issue. But some here have made good points about langar abuse. Too many non Sikhs coming to Gurdware and treating it as a free food restaurant.

 

That's not all. Even our own people are forgetting the real meaning of langar Seva. It's suppose to be for poverty stricken people or for devotees of God as the Gurus had done it or great Gursikhs like Baba Nidhan Singh ji had done for Sangats visiting Sri Hazur Sahib. 

 

Now our people are feeding food to people who don't even require this Seva like like university students. If that isn't wastage of food and resources then what is? This is called ਰੱਜਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਰਜਉਣਾ (feeding those who are already satiated)

 

And this is just one point. Why are so many Gurdware in the West installing chairs and benches in the hazuri of Guru Maharaj? The original idea was that it was for handicaps and real elderly people who are physically unable to sit on the floor. But today I am seeing most of the people sitting on those chairs and benches are perfectly OK and can sit on the floor but they choose to do be'adbi of Guru ji by sitting on those chairs. Many of times they are mid-aged and not even elderly! Too many people taking advantage of privileges.

maybe offer those people occupying the benches elderly fitness/therapy classes in onsite gym ...those who are genuine will appreciate any help to be better the fakers will make excuses . Then everyone will know those in genuine need and give proper support rather than just chairs .

 

[simran345]

Going back to dal/sabji. There's many dals/sabjis that one would see at langar, but one I've never seen is masara di dal. Why is that? And why are chillis put in everything, even the dahi, and what's the bhoondi/palean vala dahi about? Why can't it be plain. At least there should be one item without or less chillis, or is it so that they don't run out of them? Or is it so people don't take advantage of it? Is langar prepared according to those that make it, to their taste? Half of the things, you wouldn't normally have at home on a regular basis. So shouldn't it be like home cooking, rather than heavy and rich like a restaurant or mithaiyi store? And then the committee wonders where's all the funds gone. The uncle with the mircha wala bag spent them all on mircha. ?

As Johnny paji has said for the poverty stricken. Why are such spicy foods being given to them also? 

[Sukhvirk1976]

On 5/1/2017 at 11:37 PM, BhForce said:

"Pehle pangat, pache sangat" 

the reason why one should eat langar before going guru darbar for darshan is because it is the great equaliser.. guru sahib was breaking down the caste restrictions associated with brahmanism.. it is the practical extension of char dewar (four doors) everyone is welcome...

it is the manifestation of 'vand chako' where the sangat through there 'kirat' hard work are supporting the people around them engaging without discrimination with society around them..

moreover by everyone eating food cooked from the same 'degh' by a member of the sangat (which in the gurus time was revolutionary, highly subversive and a direct challenge to the dietary practices articulated through casteism), and eating with people of any background, requires one to humble themselves and put aside caste differences and any concept of superiority. 

it is a articulation of the utilitarian and egalitarian nature of sikhi. when we go to eat langar we shouldnt be focussing on what everyone around us is doing.. that is between them and waheguru ji.. 

rich people should most definitely eat langar, in guru ghar no one is rich noone is poor.. when doing langar sewa i was always taught to say eg. "baba ji phulka" regardless of whether the person was a beggar, a child, or whatever... as sewadaar doing langar sewa we should serve all without any prejudice in our heart.. if we have in front of us a beggar in rags a true test of our own openness and humility is whether we can serve them with the same respect and dignity as we would a esteemed member of the community... if we look upon them and say in our minds "there only here for the food, just hurry up and move them on" we have failed

[simran345]

12 minutes ago, Preeet said:

Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh, ji

Masara di daal is banned for hindus (some sikhs follow this too, like me lol). At my Sri Gurdwara Sahib ji, the parcharak said it is bad for us spiritually. The hindu story behind it is that there were 2 Rishis, one of them owned  Kamdhenu ji 'the wish fulfilling cow goddess'. The other rishi wanted to take it from the owner, but the owner denied him. So then a war between them broke out, and somehow  Kamadhenu ji was struck with a weapon, and from the blood that came from her body made the maasar plant (as well as tobacco/onions/garlic etc). So now in kaliyuga people are indulging in sin, one of them being this. Those foods are tamas guni foods, we should try to follow a sattvic diet. Anyways, before anyone says this is fake, you are all free to believe this or not. I think I heard a story of Baba Buddha ji eating an onion, but when it comes to the reached individuals, anything they eat can be okay. Just as Shiva ji drank halahal poison from samundra manthan, it does not mean hindus should drink poison now. Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh

But we are not Hindus, we are Sikhs. And Gurdwaras are not mandirs. So where's the logic in that ? If somebody else could explain why masara di daal is not served in Gurdwara? If it is, then why is it rare? 

[simran345]

4 minutes ago, Preeet said:

Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh, ji

Of course, but I did not even know any of this before my Sri Gurdwara Sahib ji's parcharak told us to not indulge in those foods.. Kamadhenu ji said something along the lines as because of this paap that happened, people will consume these foods in kaliyuga. I did research on it after he told us, and I found it to be true since they are tamas guni in nature. The hindu story is the main reason, there is no other known reason from my knowledge. bhull chuk maaf kijye Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh ji

I'm talking about masara di dal, nothing else. How is that bad for somebody spiritually? Does it come under tamas guni foods? 

@jkvlondon penji, would you know about this ? 

[jkvlondon]

27 minutes ago, Preeet said:

Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh, ji

Masara di daal is banned for hindus (some sikhs follow this too, like me lol). At my Sri Gurdwara Sahib ji, the parcharak said it is bad for us spiritually. The hindu story behind it is that there were 2 Rishis, one of them owned  Kamdhenu ji 'the wish fulfilling cow goddess'. The other rishi wanted to take it from the owner, but the owner denied him. So then a war between them broke out, and somehow  Kamadhenu ji was struck with a weapon, and from the blood that came from her body made the maasar plant (as well as tobacco/onions/garlic etc). So now in kaliyuga people are indulging in sin, one of them being this. Those foods are tamas guni foods, we should try to follow a sattvic diet. Anyways, before anyone says this is fake, you are all free to believe this or not. I think I heard a story of Baba Buddha ji eating an onion, but when it comes to the reached individuals, anything they eat can be okay. Just as Shiva ji drank halahal poison from samundra manthan, it does not mean hindus should drink poison now. Vaheguru ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru ji Ki Fateh

that is not the reason , it is a practical one sabat dhals can be left to boil they will take it better and not disintegrate with keeping warm so easily also  they are more filling (remember for poverty stricken) and contain more iron, so more healthy