04:35PM, Wednesday 20 April 2022
MP Theresa May joined in with festivities as Maidenhead Gurdwara welcomed more than 800 people over three days to celebrate Vaisakhi at the weekend.
The festival, which began on Friday and concluded on Sunday, is celebrated across the world by the Sikh community.
It is a celebration of the harvest festival in India and commemorates the time when the Khalsa brotherhood was founded by 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
On Friday morning, a continuous reading of the 1,430-page holy book Guru Granth Sahib commenced at the Rutland Road Gurdwara and lasted until Sunday morning, with readers rotating and taking turns every two hours.
Throughout the festival, visitors enjoyed food, which was cooked, prepared, and served at the gurdwara 24 hours a day.
On Saturday, Royal Borough Mayor Cllr John Story joined in with the festivities as he visited the gurdwara and spent time talking with people.
Karnail Singh Pannu, president of Maidenhead Gurdwara and chair of the Windsor and Maidenhead Community Forum (WAMCF) also gave Cllr Story a tour, showed him the Guru Granth Sahib and talked to him about the rituals and protocols observed.
Later that day, Maidenhead MP Theresa May and her husband Sir Philip May came and joined in with the celebrations and Mrs May also spent time helping prepare food in the kitchen.
Conservative ward councillors for Boyn Hill, Cllr Gurpreet Bhangra and Cllr Stuart Carroll were also in attendance at the celebration, as well as WAMCF trustee Paul Samuels and his wife Beej Samuels.
On Sunday, the flagpole, known as the Nishan Sahib was lowered and washed before new cladding was put on and it was raised.
A final service also took place in which the final prayer, for world peace and health, was said.
Karnail said: “It was a full house, it was wonderful. I was so overjoyed to see so many people.”
The event was sponsored by three families – the Basra, Hans and Gundhara families who brought all the food that was cooked.
“We could not do it without them,” Karnail added.
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