Chapter 12, Article 21: Voluntary Service

Voluntary service is a prominent part of Sikh religion. Illustrative models of voluntary service are organized, for imparting training, in the Gurdwaras. Its simple forms are: sweeping and plastering the floors of the gurdwara (In olden times buildings, particularly in rural areas, had mud and not brick paved or cement floors. To give to these floors firmness and consistency, they were thinly plastered with a diluted compound of mud.), serving water to or fanning the congregation, offering provisions to and rendering any kind of service in the common kitchen-cum-eating house, dusting the shoes of the people visiting the Gurdwara, etc.

(a) Guru's kitchen-cum-eating house. The philosophy behind the Guru's kitchen-cum-eating house is two fold: to provide training to the Sikhs in voluntary service and to help banish all distinctions of high and low, touchable and untouchable from the Sikhs' minds.

(b) All human beings, high or low, and of any caste or color may sit and eat in the Guru's kitchen-cum-eating house. No discrimination on grounds of the country of origin, color, caste or religion may be made while making people sit in rows for eating. However, only initiated Sikhs can eat off of one plate.