00:03Malaysia is home to many religious festivals and Vaisakhi is one of them.
00:07It's celebrated in full spirit at the Guru Nanak Darbar Tat Khalsa Divan,
00:12the largest Sikh temple in Southeast Asia.
00:19Located in Chaukit, this gudwara was established in 1918.
00:23Its origins can be traced back to the then General Hospital Kuala Lumpur
00:28when a vacant ward there was converted into a temporary prayer hall,
00:32which served the community for about a year.
00:36In 1924, the congregation moved to its current and permanent site,
00:41which was awarded by the British government.
00:43In 2002, a new building was erected, the one that stands today,
00:48with a prayer hall that accommodates around 1,500 people.
00:55There is a misnomer that Vaisakhi is our new year.
01:00Actually, it's not.
01:02Vaisakhi actually is the birth of the Khalsa.
01:07The Khalsa is the community of initiated Sikhs created by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699
01:13to eliminate caste distinctions and unite all Sikhs into a brotherhood.
01:19Men adopted the name Singh meaning lion,
01:22while women took the name Kor meaning princess.
01:26Traditionally, Khalsa Sikhs wear five symbols of their identity known as the five Ks.
01:32Kesh, uncut hair.
01:35Kanga, a wooden comb.
01:37Kara, a steel bracelet.
01:39Kachera, cotton undergarments.
01:41And Kirpan, a ceremonial sword.
01:46FMT Lifestyle joined the pre-Vaisakhi celebrations,
01:49which were also attended by Gyani Khalip Singh Gargaj from India,
01:53the acting head of Sikhism's highest authority.
01:59We have a 48 hours prayer.
02:01It culminates the last day.
02:04And then we have singing of hymns.
02:08And we also have the raising of our flag.
02:12You have footage when you're coming outside.
02:14There's a flag hosted.
02:16We change the flag twice a year.
02:18One on Vaisakhi and one on Guru Nanak's birthday in November.
02:26Like every Gurdwara, food is served daily.
02:30And during Vaisakhi, it's a grand spread.
02:32The temple has its own kitchen,
02:34where volunteers come together to prepare, cook, wash and serve.
02:43It's a requirement of the religion.
02:46Free food for everyone.
02:47Yes.
02:47And we call it Langan and it's purely vegetarian.
02:55Despite being a small minority in Malaysia,
02:58the Sikh community remains significant,
03:01continuing to uphold their values of equality and selfless service.
03:05TV Aragu FMT.
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