Embracing the Sikh Temple of Reno
Kingkini Sengupta and Alayna Wood spent several Sundays getting to know the Northern Nevada Sikh Society and the families who call the Sikh Temple Reno home.
On McCarran Boulevard towards Sparks, a pristine ochre building with a golden dome glistens. The Northern Nevada Sikh Society opened the Selmi Drive gurdwara over 14 years ago after they relocated from their old temple on East Second Street. About 200 Sikh families all across Northern Nevada are part of this congregation and attend services regularly on Sundays.
At around 9:45 A.M. on the morning of April 24th, the members of the Northern Nevada Sikh Society gather together at the gurdwara to change the holy cloth on the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag, which stays mounted on a pole just outside the temple as a mark of respect to the Guru Nanak, all year round.
This pole, which stands in front of the Selmi Drive gurdwara, is about 97 feet tall, along with a 3 feet tall khanda, a Sikh holy symbol, which is depicted by a sword on top.
As the clock draws closer to 10 A.M., more people begin to gather, and each new addition to the crowd adds to the bright array of rainbow attire.
From the turbans worn by the men and the headscarves worn by the women to the kurta, traditional clothing worn by both, every color on the spectrum is represented. Bright orange and navy blue are the most prominently worn colors, however, as these are symbolic of the Sikh faith and adorn the Sikh flag.
Orange and navy blue are traditional Khalsa colors worn on days of religious observance or special commemorative events. Orange represents wisdom and blue is the color of the warrior and of protection. Royal or navy blue turbans are common among Sikh ministers and learned Gyanis, especially in India.
A group of women dressed in attire made of cotton and silk and in shades of gold, yellow, orange, and red stand outside the temple doors, singing worshipful songs to the rhythm of the dholak, the Indian drums.
A dozen men slowly lower the pole with the assistance of a hydraulic machine, and after the daily Ardaas, and prayers to the guru, they and several others step forward to begin the process of changing the flag. The ceremony lasts about an hour as everyone works together to unwrap the pole and remove its old cloth, wash the pole with a mixture of water and milk, dry it with white towels, and dexterously re-tie the new cloth and flag. Throughout the ceremony, cheers of “Jo bole so Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal” can be heard by members of the community. This is a war cry that is uttered on every auspicious occasion that was the call of the Sikhs given by the Tenth Guru, Gobind Singh.
Once the flag is placed atop the pole, the men raise it back up to stand tall until the next Nishan Sahib ceremony. A sense of accomplishment is felt among the crowd as the old, sun-faded cloth is replaced with a bright new one. This ceremony takes place twice a year, once during April which is the birthday month of Khalsa and another about six months later.
52-year-old Jaswinder Dhami is an electrical engineer by profession. His family has been engaged in hospitality development for the past 25 years and builds and operates hotels in various cities across the United States. The Dhami family has been associated with the gurdwara for over two decades.
“The significance of Nishan Sahib is that it pretty much tells that we have the holy book here,” said Dhami, who also manages the Facebook page of the Sikh Temple of Reno. “We have a temple that is open every day of the year to all communities. I think it’s almost like a sign. And there’s our Bible, the Sikh Bible you can see here and you’re welcome to walk in as long as you cover your head and as long as you’re not intoxicated, you are welcome to join us.”
Dozens of members and their families gather at the Selmi Drive gurdwara every Sunday to pray to the Holy book of Guru Granth Sahib and practice Seva, service to the community. One important aspect of this service includes langar, the community kitchen, which is open every week.
One thing that draws new attendees in, apart from the savory smell of curry, dal (lentil soup), and freshly baked naan, is the picture of everyone sharing their meals together as equals as they sit together cross-legged on the floor. This presents a feeling of equality and humility.
“Here everyone is equal. You see the food court, everybody is the same and part of God,” said Manjit Singh, the president of the Northern Nevada Sikh Society.
“Sunday prayer, services, and langars are not the only activities that happen in the community,” said 14-year-old Amol Singh Nagra who goes to Bishop Manogue. “We provide food to people, to the houseless community, sometimes toothpaste, and toothbrushes, and we have a blood bank where we can donate blood. We also host a sports day where all the kids and parents, and everyone gets together. We do activities like volleyball and basketball tournaments. We have races, kabaddi, and Indian tug of war. It is always happening in a public spot and so anyone is welcome.”
“This is the one place where God doesn’t care what you look like or who you are,” 18-year-old University of Nevada, Reno business major, Ravi Singh says. “He just wants to help you and this is a community where everyone can help you. Everybody loves each other.”
He and his family attend the gurdwara on Sundays and often invite their non-Sikh friends to join them even if they are not familiar with the Sikh traditions. “During Baisakhi (the Sikh harvest festival and birth of Khalsa), we often have some of our friends come over and watch us perform Bangara (a Punjabi folk dance). We try to make them included as much as we can within the culture,” Ravi said.
At least twice a year, the temple arranges a blood drive. This year, a Vitalant van was parked outside of the temple during Nishan Sahib and members of the gurdwara stood in line to donate blood. “During 9/11, our community came together and donated $11,000 to the Red Cross. During Hurricane Harvey, our goal was to donate $21,000, and actually, we made $51,000,” Dhami said.
“It is important for the Sikhs to donate 10 percent of their earnings to various charity purposes,” said Dhami, whose family also takes part in coordinating community outreach and donations from the church to various organizations such as the Northern Nevada Food Bank and homeless shelters. Similar to other church traditions that call for a tithe of 10% of one’s income back to the church, the Sikh tradition also encourages members to give a part of their income. However, for them, it doesn’t need to go back to the temple, but to other charitable causes. “It’s a platform where we don’t only get donations to expand and build temples, but also to help out whenever there is a natural disaster in the country,” Dhami added.
Among the many women that attend the Sunday services at the gurdwara is 22-year-old TMCC graduate, Romia, who was wearing a traditional blue kurta Patiala ( also known as suit Patiala/salwar) and was covering her head with a traditional dupatta on the gurdwara premises. She often visits the Sikh temple in traditional clothes, takes off her shoes at the entrance, and maintains the mandatory head covering decorum while inside the temple. “We don’t cover our heads outside the temple, and if we do, it would be if the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, is visible in the vicinity. It is a sign of respect,” she said. For those who have been ‘baptized’ (Amrit Shakna), they need to have their head covered at all times.
Romia shares that her non-Sikh friends in Nevada often get curious about what she wears and she loves explaining it to them in detail. “They love the vibrant colors and pattern sequences,” she explained. “[It] makes me feel proud that I get to educate others about my culture.”
As a child, she sometimes felt uncomfortable facing the questions regarding her outfits, but that changed as she got older. “As I grew up I started to wear suits a lot more and realized that this is a part of my culture and I need to embrace it! And now I look forward to when I can wear my Indian outfits because they’re so much fun.”
The Sikh Temple Reno is one of two gurdwaras in all of Nevada. The second one is in Las Vegas.
The United States has a population of approximately 500,000 Sikh Americans and there are about 280 gurdwara across various cities in America. However, Sikhism is not widely understood among most Americans. Therefore, Dhami invites the people of the Reno community.
“Join us,” he said. “Come one day, try our food and check out our service and see how we leave our differences. Everybody has differences on the side. I just thank God for the beautiful life that God has given us.”
