English cricket board hosts Vaisakhi at Lord’s

THE Sikh festival of Vaisakhi was celebrated at Lord’s last Wednesday (24) for the first time at the hallowed cricket ground.

Organisers, the England and Wales Cricket Board, said the event “was a wonderful evening, celebrating Vaisakhi in the Lord’s Long Room for the first time.”

Guests from the Sikh community, the world of cricket and other partners, including The Sikh Games, enjoyed a night of music, poetry by Jaspreet Kaur from Behind the Netra, inspirational speeches and Indian food. The event was a reminder of the role of sport in uniting communities.

Vaisakhi is one of the biggest festivals in the Sikh calendar; it celebrates the founding of the Sikh community - the birth of the Khalsa - in 1699.

It’s a huge celebration where there are street processions, gatka (martial arts), prayers and hymns and langar (free food) is served in community kitchens to anyone, regardless of their background. Vaisakhi is not only a religious festival, but also a celebration of community spirit and unity. It’s about love, seva (selfless service) and being in Chardi kala (a state of happiness).

Shivani Uberoi, EDI engagement lead at ECB, said, “We organised this event as Vaisakhi is a key festival for the Sikh community and it’s never been celebrated at Lord’s before and this was the first time.

Mandeep Kaur Moore

“Lord’s holds a special place in people’s hearts - being the home of cricket. There’s a big cricket community in the south Asian community and we have previously held iftar and Diwali (events). It has meant a lot to those communities, so we wanted to also include Vaisakhi.”

She added: “We wanted people to feel inspired by the culture and to learn about Sikhism and Vaisakhi. Not everyone here is from the Sikh community, so it was nice to have people from all communities here. It’s been a great turnout, and he vibe has felt amazing and there’s been a great connection. We hope more people will be encouraged to celebrate each other’s festivals and that will foster awareness and empathy towards each other.”

The event provided an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together, celebrate, learn and strengthen bonds with the cricket community.

Celebrating religious events like Vaisakhi in this way is part of the ECB’s commitment to ‘raising the game’ – a campaign aimed at encouraging inclusive behaviour across cricket.

Shivani Uberoi

Mandeep Kaur Moore, president of the Sikh Games, said:

“We wanted to celebrate Vaisakhi in a respectful way and on behalf of half a million Sikhs in the UK.

“Cricket is very much a loved sport by the Sikh community and not a lot of Sikhs play the sport - so the idea is to grow that and make the sport feel more open to the Sikh community.”

“We are partners with ECB and we work together to ensure these events are highlighted in places such as Lord’s and beyond,” she added.