THE SUN shone down on this year’s Nagar Kirtan parade which saw more than 10,000 Sikhs parade through the streets of Coventry on Sunday.

The event celebrated Vaisakhi and the founding of the Khalsa or Sikh brotherhood.

In line with the Sikh philosophy of ‘Vand Ke Shakna’ or charitable giving, the annual Nagar Kirtan procession began with donations to both British and Ukrainian charities.

Other causes nominated this year for donations included The Fire Fighters Charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Dementia Society and Panahgar which is a Coventry founded refuge for women and their families who are victims of domestic abuse.

Each receive £501 with all the cash raised by Coventry’s Sikh community.

The Nagar Kirtan was led by five Sikhs called the Panj Pyare or beloved ones, dressed in traditional attire with others played drums to announce the arrival of the procession.

And there were a stream of colourful floats with the lead one carrying the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh’s holy scriptures – the embodiment of the living Guru (teacher) and deeply revered.

The parade ended with a Gatka (Sikh martial arts) display, including live sword-fighting displays by Sikh warriors.

Bali Kaur, spokesperson for the Coventry Nagar Kirtan Events Team, said: “It went incredibly well – we had more people than we expected come down to be part of the celebrations.

“The weather could not have been any better and – after two years of Covid restrictions – there were a lot of people who had not seen each other in quite a while.”

Bali added the charities were extremely pleased with the donations they received and there were a lot of onlookers who came down to watch the event and find out more about the Sikh religion.

“So many people worked so hard together to put the event on and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who was part of the day.”

What others said about the day….

Bali spoke to several organisations about the parade and the day, here’s what they had to say –

West Midlands Fire Service said: “We’re here today to accept a cheque on behalf of the Firefighters charity.

“It’s a wonderful gift and we’re very thankful. It’s spectacular.

“The hospitality has been amazing and I can’t thank everybody enough for the way we’ve been treated today and it’s been an absolute pleasure to meet members of the community.”

One onlooker added: “I travelled here to watch and learn. My neighbour is a Sikh and I’d like to understand what their religion is all about. I saw it advertised on Facebook and I double in photography. It’s a beautiful day and a lovely colourful event.”

Davinder Prasad from Coventry Mercia Lions said:  “It was one of the best organised, well attended and most enjoyable community events.

“In line with true spirit of serving people in our communities, I joined a large team of volunteers. I was assigned an important task to keep people off the roads when the procession was approaching.

“I was really impressed with the spirit of giving for which Sikhs are known for all over the world.”