The Miri Piri Academy annual forty days of ishnaan seva at the Golden Temple continues (Follow on instagram @mpaspirit).

One of the aspects that’s so cherished at the Golden Temple is the langar, the free community kitchen. Each day it serves approximately 50,000 people a simple meal of dhal, rice, sabzi, kheer and rotis. On holidays that number shoots up to over 100,000 people.

How many rotis are made every hour?

To serve this massive amount of people with grace there are two dining halls and two kitchens – one upstairs and one downstairs. In these kitchens, an immense amount of food is prepared. Each day approximately 65 quintals of wheat are consumed (a quintal=100KG), 18 quintals of daal, 14 quintals of rice, 16 quintals of vegetables and 7.5 quintals of dry milk powder for the kheer. There are 11 huge hot plates for making roti. On these plates, the sevadars can produce 2,000 rotis an hour. On busy days, the three roti machines can also be used, each capable of churning out 4,000 rotis an hour.

This operation is run by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). They spend 4.1 million USD every year on running the langar hall, between 15,000 and 22,000 USD a day. Up to a fourth of the produce and dry goods used are also donated by devotees. There are 495 employees who coordinate the langar kitchen, making sure the langar runs smoothly. This is supplemented and nourished by hundreds of volunteers who serve in a myriad of capacities. From peeling garlic, to rolling rotis, serving food, washing the floors or washing the dishes. There are so many ways to serve.

Besides washing the floors of the parkarma, it’s beautiful to be able to serve the community in this way. It’s also humbling. No single person can come close to making that experience happen; you can roll 100 rotis or wash 300 dishes and it only makes a tiny dent in the overall operation. It really takes a sangat – hundreds of devoted individuals – to serve thousands with ease and grace.  We are so blessed to be able to participate every year.

The Miri Piri Academy Annual Fund supports not only our operations, academic program and facilities, it also supports our Financial Aid program, which makes it possible for more than 66% of our students to attend the school. Your gift to Miri Piri Academy is a gift to the future generations, who will bring their knowledge and their spirit home to share with their communities all over the world. Help us change the world, one student at a time.