BIRMINGHAM, England—One of London’s busiest attractions – the Birmingham Public Library celebrated Vaisakhi by lighting its entire building in orange yesterday, April 13, 2016. The library has continued this tradition for the past two years.
The Birmingham library first celebrated Vaisakhi in 2014 with the efforts of Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh, Chair of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha. To raise public awareness of Vaisakhi, and of the Sikhs in general, Bhai Mohinder Singh organized a ‘going orange’ event which was held at the library in partnership with the Birmingham Sikh Community.
Vaisakhi marks the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. The Birmingham Library is the region’s most popular library, and the UK’s second most-visited, according to the latest library survey issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). It is also a popular tourist attraction.
Birmingham City has one of the highest population of Sikhs in the UK. Gurpreet Singh from Birmingham told Sikh24 that his family went to the lighting ceremony at the library in 2014 and again yesterday. “Sikhs came here from different parts of the country in 2014 to see the lighting and also attend the Vaisakhi celebrations at the Handsworth Park.”
“We absolutely love the lighting and celebrations, it gives us a sense of pride in being British Sikhs,” he added.
Phaldip Singh, a youth activist from UK said, “[Year] 2016 also marks the 25th anniversary of the annual Vaisakhi celebrations which take place in Handsworth Park, Birmingham – one of the largest open air festivals to mark the Sikh nations collective birthday on 25th April 2016. This [will] be the second time the public building will [be] lit up in orange in observance of a sacred Sikh festival, a gesture which pays homage to the collective contribution of Sikhs in the UK.”
