I.S. Saluja

NEW YORK, NY(TIP): Organized by the Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill, New York, in cooperation with Sikh Temples and Sikh organizations of the Tri-States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the 31^stSikh Day Parade on April 28^thin Manhattan, New York, attracted, as usual, large crowds of Sikh men, women and children. Contingents of Sikhs came from as far as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. An estimated 30,000 (according to the organizers, 50, 000) Sikhs participated.

The parade that started from 37th Street and Madison Ave, wound its way through the city and ended up at 26th Street and Madison Ave for the conference on 23^rdStreet.

There were 9 floats depicting Sikh history and religion. Thousands marched in the parade singing hymns from the Holy Sikh Scripture.

An interesting feature was participation in parade of NYPD band and police officers.

Another impressive feature of the parade was langar (free food). The whole 26^thStreet between Madison and Park was dedicated to food stalls where free food was served to the thousands who had come for the parade.

A conference was held as the closing part of the parade. Those who addressed the gathering included Sikh community leaders and officials from various departments of New York City and New Jersey State. The more prominent among them were New Jersey State Attorney General Gurbir Singh Grewal,James P. O’Neill, Police Commissioner of New York City, Mayor of Hoboken City, Ravinder Singh Bhalla, TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi, and Balbir Singh Freeholder, Burlington. They were honored by organizers of the parade.

The event is held annually to mark Vaisakhi, the harvest festival of Punjab that coincides with the day the Tenth Master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, created the order of Khalsa in 1699.