:dateline:Managing Committee of Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar in Salem�(Oregon, USA)�organized a parade in the memory of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the defense of Darbar Sahib in India in 1984 on the eve of Shaheedi Gurpurb of Shri Guru Arjun Dev Jee Maharaj.�Thousands of people from different parts of the United States of America and Canada attended this 8th Annual Sikh Parade.
Followed by the float of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, several other floats decorated as per traditional themes, reflected the vibrant nature of the Sikh Culture, Sikhi and of the Sikh way of life. �These floats were also one of the major attractions during the parade. Over the last seven years, this parade has grown from a local community event to an International event. Initially, it commenced with a few hundreds of people and the parade today aims to aware people about Sikhism, their culture and customs. Each year Sikhs travel to Salem city from different parts of the USA to partake in one of the largest devotional celebrations. Amid chants of �Satnam Waheguru� and religious sloganeering of �Bole so Nihal�, the Punj Pyaras or, the five Sikh clergies led the parade, carrying the Sri Nishan Sahib, the religious flag of Sikhism.
Members of the Sikh Motorcycle Club, from Vancouver, B.C., took part in this parade. This was the first time the club took part, and got permission to wear their turbans during the parade in Oregon State. Bursts of orange, blue, yellow and pink stood in contrast to a gray sky in the parade. Women wrapped in vibrant fabric and beading maneuvered the crowd with umbrellas while chants boomed from speakers and a bus covered in flower petals worked its way north on Commercial Street S.E from the Dasmesh Darbar Sikh Temple to the parking lot of South Salem High School.
The temple provided free food and drinks as well as pamphlets explaining “who are the Sikhs.”Sikhs trace their religion back to Punjab, which is present day Pakistan and northern India. A helicopter showered a rain of flowers from high above the procession during the stop at High School parking lot. Bahadur Singh President of Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara said that the annual parade helps people to meet each other and witness a large religious gathering and offers a platform to the Sikhs to discuss their issues. Besides it being a religious function, the local people here opine that the procession also demonstrates their political and economic strength along with the unity among the Sikhs.
