The Glasgow Gurdwaras Procession, or Nagar Kirtan, is a Sikh religious procession where the community parades through the city streets, singing hymns and celebrating the Sikh festival Vaisakhi, marking the start of the Sikh new year. Hundreds of participants made their way from the Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib on the south side of the city to the west end visiting other Gurdwaras on route.
I had originally intended to join the procession about an hour after it had started, but for various reasons arrived in the city earlier than expected, so made the long walk to the start at Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib. I’m glad that I did. As the crowds gathered inside the temple grounds and crowded around the entrance for the departure, the atmosphere was one of overwhelming peace and respect. The bright Spring sunshine enhanced the colourful display that was laid out before me, so the usual monochrome settings were ditched in favour of glorious colour.
After some prayers the procession started on its long journey to the west end of Glasgow before eventually returning. Along the way there were various stops for prayer offerings, in fact there were so many stops that I was in danger of taking too many pictures so decided that it was time for home, even before they had reached the city centre.
This was a pleasant change in many ways from my usual subject matter, a celebration of both faith and colour.
