KFE customer Harry Kandola shines a spotlight on the Sikh festival of Bandi Chhor Divas

Today marks the first day of Diwali, a five-day festival of lights celebrating new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. It is marked by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world who light up their homes, shops and public places. The celebration derives its name from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning “rows of lighted lamps”.

But it’s not the only festival taking place today. For the Sikh community, Diwali coincides with another celebration, Bandi Chhor Divas.

Harry Kandola, who owns Harry’s Fish & Chips and Stargate Chippy in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, explains: “Bandi Chhor Divas celebrates the time when our sixth teacher, Guru Hargobind, released 52 kings from prison in 1619.

“It’s an important celebration for us simply because it shows us the significance of thinking about other people. Back then it was a time of a lot of oppression of the Sikh faith and even though our guru thought he was going to get killed by the emperor, he still thought about all the other people that were in prison with him, so that’s what we celebrate.”

Bandi Chhor Divas is marked in much the same way as Diwali with Sikhs coming together at their local gurdwara (temple). 

“We listen to hymns, we light some fireworks, we give out Indian sweets and we celebrate as a culture, with all our friends and family. It’s really about everybody coming together, spending time together and thinking of others.”

Although it’s not something Harry marks within his shops, he feels there is much more awareness of celebrations among other faiths in the UK today, adding: “We are definitely understanding why other cultures celebrate their occasions more and more, and I think Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have a lot to play in that. But it’s even waking more people up in our own culture because as children we wouldn’t understand the whole meaning behind why we celebrate certain festivals, but now I feel we do, and social media has definitely helped share those messages.”