When Sarbie Bala moved to Bradford West Gwillimbury in 1988, his was the only Sikh family in town.
“I moved … from India, right into the (Holland) Marsh. My dad worked at a carrot farm,” he said.
Growing up, Bala and his brother weeded on a farm, and many of his relatives worked on farms. He now owns a trucking company that helps local farmers.
It felt like an extension of his life back home, where many people harvest wheat as part of a celebration for Khalsa Day, the anniversary of the founding of the Sikh Order of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh.
Now 30 years later, the Sikh community has grown in BWG, and Bala is part of a group of citizens who have organized a local Khalsa Day flag raising May 20 to celebrate the Sikh holiday and share their culture with other residents.
“The majority (of BWG residents) used to be Portuguese and Italians back in the day. I always wanted to see that change, for people to spread out,” he said, adding the more people from different cultures move to the area, the more they bring a variety of new types of groceries and traditions.
“That’s always a good thing for a community.”
At this year’s Khalsa Day event, organizers will be collecting food and money donations for the Helping Hand Food Bank and Southlake Regional Health Centre, respectively.
Giving back to the community is directly related to what Sikhism is all about, Bala said.
“A Sikh by name is a person who’s always learning, and they always give back to the community after,” he said. “That’s one of the giving things about Sikhism.”
There will be a flag raising for Khalsa Day outside the BWG courthouse at 11 a.m. There will also be snacks served, such as samosas and jalebi, an Indian sweet.
Some of the attendees will be wearing traditional dress, including Indian suits for women and kurta pajamas for men, but there is no dress code.
The first-ever Khalsa Day was held in India on April 13, 1699, and it is typically celebrated each year in April but was postponed this year in Bradford due to poor weather.
In 1699, the Guru brought together five people of different castes and announced they were all equal — and that equality is still a tenet of Sikhism, Bala said.
Many of the more than 100 local Sikh families in BWG are expected to attend this year’s local celebration.
It has been wonderful to see the community grow over the years, said resident Serge Singh, adding he hopes more people will learn about the culture.
“Sikhism is a community where you always have an open heart,” he said. “We’re always willing to help others.”
Ranjit Sandhu has lived in BWG for nearly 30 years and has been involved in the local Khalsa Day events since the first one eight years ago.
He is also the first Sikh police officer with the South Simcoe Police Service.
“It means a lot to my family. I’m just happy I’m a police officer,” he said.
Sandhu, who is the brother of Ward 1 Coun. Raj Sandhu, can speak English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, which he said helps him in his job when called to a scene where someone’s first language is not English.
“I have used the other languages a lot. They think you understand their culture better than the other non-Indian officers,” so they open up more, he said.
While BWG has grown over the years from the time the Sandhu’s were one of the only Sikh families in town, he said he has never felt prejudiced against. Rather, he said his family has sung the town’s praises so much some of their friends have moved there.
Shiv Gil, a former BWG resident who now lives in Newmarket, has been involved in the town’s Khalsa Day since the beginning and said he hopes more people will come out to learn about “who we are, our background, why we’re wearing a turban, why we celebrate.”
“We want to let them know we are a community from India, and we have a (long) history.”
Traditionally, many Khalsa Day celebrations in India include feeding needy people meals during a 24-hour period, and this is why food will be served at the local event, he said.
There is a large contingency of Sikhs in Toronto and Brampton, and their Khalsa Day festivities also typically include a walk through the streets “to show people our strength,” he said.
Back in India, Bala added, Khalsa Day can also include concerts and dances.
He said he hopes the Bradford event will keep growing each year.
“I’d like to see a lot more people come out and celebrate with us,” he said. “This is my town as much as anybody else’s. There’s no place like Bradford.”
Khalsa Day
May 20 at 11 a.m.
Flag raising outside BWG courthouse, 57 Holland St. E.
Food and money donations will be accepted for Helping Hand Food Bank and Southlake Regional Health Centre
