On April 14 we were invited to the Penang Police Sikh Gurdwara (temple) to witness the end of the annual Vasakhi celebration. Vasakhi is akin to a “Sikh New Year” celebration, and our Sikhism teacher from our Religious Experiences of Malaysia class, Mr. Kirpal Singh, hosted us at the Gurdwara.
As we arrived, anyone who wanted to was invited to have a Sikh turban tied to cover their hair. The rest of us wore scarves to cover our heads before entering the temple.
We were invited into the temple, and witnessed the Kirtan, or singing of hymns from the Sikh holy book, the Guru Gran Saaheeb.
Afterward, we were served a wonderful vegetarian dinner at the temple. Then, we left to tour Penang’s main Sikh Gurdwara, which was a short drive away. There we learned about the history of the Sikh migration from India to Malaysia that has occurred in several phases over more than a century