Sikh parade to bring its colour to Te Puke

The five Nishanchis, followed by the five Panj Piare and then the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, in last year’s parade.

One of the most colourful events on the Te Puke calendar takes place this weekend.

Bay of Plenty Sikh Society’s Nagar Kirtan - a parade from the Sikh temple on No 3 Rd to the CBD and back again - is on on Saturday.

The parade took place for the first time since the pandemic last year.

Bay of Plenty Sikh Association secretary Lehmber Singh says he expects an even greater number of participants to previous years, partly due to the increased number of people of Indian heritage in the Bay of Plenty, and also due to people coming to Te Puke from outside the district for the event.

Locally the event is also popular and he says he is regularly asked when the next one is happening.

The parade follows the tradition of Nagar Kirtan - the Sikh custom of processional singing of holy hymns through a community. Nagar means neighbourhood and kirtan describes the singing of devotional hymns.

Lehmber says the parade is an acknowledgement of faith rather than a celebration.

“We are dedicated to our religion and that means also bringing the message to other communities who don’t know much about the Sikh religion and what it stands for, who we are and what our mission is,” he says.

The Sikh religion is based on three main principles - the first is to work hard in your life, the second is always remember God and the third, share your food, joy and success.

“That’s what we want to tell the community - to pass on the messages.”

Sharing food - both at the temple and on the parade route - is part of the third principle, and there will also be food stalls outside Pizza Hut and Indo Spice on Jellicoe St.

Lehmber says the Sikh community has had a presence in Te Puke for 30 years and while the people who deal with and are familiar with the community are aware of the principles, some parts of the wider community are not.

The parade will be led by saffron-robed Panj Piare (the five beloved of the Guru) who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on the main float.

The event promotes the Guru’s message of love and inter-faith harmony.

The parade will leave the temple at 11am, travel down Atuaroa Ave and Jellicoe St, and, after a pause in the town centre, return to the temple where everyone is welcome to share food and prayer.

If Saturday is too wet for the parade, it will be rearranged for Sunday.