Shaheedi Jor Mela: Inflation fails to deter langar permit seekers

FATEHGARH SAHIB: In a year that saw food inflation hitting 17.05%, majority of people might have expected that it will play spoilsport for organizers of langars (community kitchens) during the three days of Shaheedi Jor Mela here.
But inflation has apparently failed to dampen the religious spirit as the number of langars has increased this year, compared to last year.Till Saturday morning, authorities have received applications from around 500 associations for permission to serve devotees with langar during the fair, while the figure was around 400 last year.
There is no permanent source of income cited by the applicants, but all want to contribute by collecting ration, money, milk, etc., from their respective areas.
Residents of various villages have started converging in the city while many have already started serving langars after obtaining permission from authorities, sources said.
The organizers have divided duties among different people, like elders being assigned the task of supervising supplies, youngsters to supply cooked meal to devotees from kitchen while women from different villages will cook meals.
Village panchayats, gurdwara committees and youth clubs take the initiative every year and villagers support it by contributing milk, sugar, tea, vegetables, oil, ghee, wheat flour, pulses, bread, rice and other required material.
"I have been contributing for the last 15 years. I believe that cooking of meals brings good fortune for my family," said Satwinder Kaur, sitting in a langar.
Another elderly man, Khushpal Singh, said that serving langars has been an inseparable part of his life and that his family members have been serving langars for the last three generations.
The rates of almost all grocery items like sugar, pulses, refined oil and tea have increased, but it has failed to discourage organizers who believe that it's their religious duty. "Visitors from all over the world attend this three-day fair. To serve them free food is our duty and we are just doing our duty," said an organizer, Kulwant singh.
When contacted, manager of the gurdwara here, Amarjit singh Gill, said they have received 500 applications and that the number is likely to increase.