GARLAND, TX (TIP): The Sikh shrine of North Texas at Garland celebrated the birth of Khalsa and Vaisakhi with great zeal and fervor on April 13. The celebrations attracted a large number of men, women and children who enjoyed being in the Gurdwara on a special day, with special prayers being offered and a special langar being served. It was a sheer delight to see young children dressed in the traditional Sikh attire.

The ceremony got underway with the Five Beloveds (Panj Piare) entering the Prayer Hall. They were Bhai Chuhar Singh, Bhai Sohan Singh Jammu, Bhai Mehtab Singh, Bhai Balkar Singh, and Bhai Yuvraj Singh. Five children- Apkirat Singh, Tejpal Singh , Gurshant Singh, Jagmeet Singh and Jaitej Singh- were also dressed up in the traditional Sikh attire of the Five Beloveds.

The congregation enjoyed the Kirtan and Katha in side the prayer hall. A little away, in the kitchen, men and women were busy cooking food which in a little while was to be made available. An attraction for all was the hoisting of the new flag (Nishan Sahib). The ceremony was marked by devotion and a commitment to live by the Sikh principles. One family received appreciation for the charity work they were doing.

The Sandhu family has been collecting donations for Pingalwara in Amritsar which runs shelters and clinics for the less privileged and the underprivileged poor people. Tarlok Singh Sandhu started with the charitable mission in 1986. Now the third generation of the sandhus is also involved in the charitable mission. In 2012, the Sandhus collected from the sangat $4730 for the Pingalwara. One would wish there were more such people to make this world a better and a happier place to live in.