By Pola Singh | Malaysia |
The Guru Nanak Community Kitchen is a Sikh-based initiative that embodies the true spirit of Malaysia, uniting volunteers, donors, and beneficiaries from diverse backgrounds. This noble cause, started by retired Air Force officer Deep Singh Ji, has been serving warm vegetarian meals to the less fortunate for the past 25 years.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, operations were halted due to the Movement Control Order (MCO). However, as soon as the restrictions were lifted, the Soup Kitchen resumed its efforts with a modified approach to ensure safety.
As a volunteer, I am pleasantly surprised to see a diverse group of people coming together. Chinese, Malays, and Indians, including professionals such as doctors, accountants, engineers, teachers, university students, and academicians, travel from various parts of the city at their own expense to help.
The volunteers gather at the High Street Gurdwara Sahib dining hall near Petaling Street to pack and distribute food. Deep Singh, recognisable by his white shirt and turban, prepares home-cooked meals and brings them in large pots. Volunteers then pack the food, often supplemented by buns, muffin, ladu, jelebi, and bottled water provided by caring donors.
Feeding around 600 people each time, the cost of each meal is about RM6, totalling approximately RM3,600. Deep Singh relies on friends, well-wishers, and sometimes his own savings to cover these costs, with many donors choosing to remain anonymous.
Popular feeding stations include areas around Bangkok Bank, Chow Kit, Puduraya, and Medan Tuanku. When word spreads that the Nanak Community Kitchen will be serving meals, people from all walks of life, mostly the elderly, unemployed, and those with odd jobs, gather in orderly lines to receive food.
For the volunteers, this experience is both enriching and humbling. While many of us enjoy the comfort of our homes and well-stocked kitchens, the homeless must endure harsh conditions, often sleeping on makeshift beds of cardboard. Despite these challenges, their gratitude and dignity shine through when we arrive with meals.
The role of youth in this initiative is particularly impactful. Many members of the Sikh Youth Fellowship Alliance (SYFA) actively collaborate with the Nanak Community Kitchen. Their involvement not only sustains the programme but also teaches them valuable lessons about empathy, community service, and the importance of helping those in need.
This initiative is a testament to the spirit of unity and compassion among Malaysians. Seeing fellow citizens from different faiths come together to make it more bearable for the urban poor is truly uplifting.
For those inspired to support this cause, Deep Singh can be contacted at 014 699 9342. Donations can be made to: CIMB Bank Current Account No: 860-574-8768; Account Name: Nanak Kitchen and Catering.
Dr Pola Singh, who retired as Maritime Institute of Malaysia director-general in 2011, is also the author of ‘Uphill — The Journey of a Sikh-Chinese Kampung Boy’
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