World’s largest community kitchen, Guru Ramdas Langar Hall at Sri Harmandir Sahib (popularly known as the Golden Temple) that feeds over 1,00,000 people daily, has gone organic.
According to reports in Indian media, Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the committee which administers this gurudwara, has announced that they will be growing crops without the use of fertilisers or pesticides.
“Organic farming is the new mission of SGPC to inspire farmers to cut down on the use of chemicals and pesticides and switch to sustainable agricultural practices,” an SGPC official told NDTV.
In the first phase of this plan, grains, fruits and vegetables like carrot, radish, cauliflower, spinach and fenugreek have been grown at farms in Patiala and Gurdwara Gurusar Satlani Sahib near Amritsar.
Source: Wikipedia
An official present at the kitchen told NDTV that they have now started receiving supply of 10 quintals of organic produce every 1-2 days which is being used to prepare nourishing vegetarian meals for the pilgrims.
The initiative is aimed at encouraging farmers to grow food organically.
Founder and President of EcoSikh, Dr Rajwant Singh said that they are hoping that other Gurudwaras (around 30 thousand in Punjab) will follow suit. “We need to respects the natural resources… the gifts given by our creator,” he said. “Just imagine, if all the gurdwaras, temples and mosques switch to organic food in consumption and distribution – the farmers will then see that there’s set market and they can start producing food for which they will not have to use chemicals and pesticides,” said Dr Singh.
Source: Wikipedia
His not-for-profit organisation, EcoSikh works to raise awareness about environmental issues and encourages farmers to focus on producing food through organic means.
“Everyone today is aware of how badly chemically-grown food affects their lives and the environment”, Dr Singh told NDTV, adding that a clear message from the precincts of Sri Harmandir Sahib will certainly be an inspiration for all faiths to promote organic farming and take good care of Mother Earth.
