NEW YORK (RNS) — In 1675, Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur completed a revolutionary act of selflessness that would change the faith’s trajectory and moral demands, according to Sikh martyrology.

At the time, the Mughal Empire in South Asia mandated conversion to Islam. Sikh tradition holds that Bahadur, the ninth of 10 Sikh gurus, chose to defend the religious freedom of Hindus in Kashmir, who had appealed to him for help, said Amandeep Singh Sandhu, a United Kingdom-based educator from Everythings 13, a Sikh educational organization. He and his disciples advocated on behalf of the Hindus in court, and as a result, they were executed. 

His martyrdom and Sikhs’ two-fold desire to defend themselves from persecution and stand with others in need ultimately led to the establishment of the faith’s Khalsa, a community of ritually initiated Sikhs who commit to both rigorous spiritual devotion and martial courage.

In that vein, the origins of the spring Sikh festival of Vaisakhi lay in the guru’s radical decision to be in solidarity with the oppressed, said Harmeet Kaur Kamboj, an attendee at the Manhattan Sikh Association’s Vaisakhi celebration on Saturday (April 18). About 150 people gathered on the sixth floor of a West Village building to attend the community event. 

A lay woman from the Manhattan Sikh Association waves the Chaur Sahib, a ceremonial fan, often made of yak hair, over the Guru Granth Sahib sacred Scriptures to show reverence and respect, Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Infinite Space NYC in Manhattan. (Photo by Vishavjit Singh)

“For me, Vaisakhi is about recognizing the momentum that radical social movements have gained in the past, remembering our roots and the responsibility we have now, hundreds of years later, to carry on that work, to continue to abolish the caste system to continue to build a truly equitable society,” Kaur Kamboj said.

While Vaisakhi officially takes place annually on April 13 or 14, the gathering was moved to the weekend to accommodate the schedules of busy families and working people, said Vishavjit Singh, a lay leader of the gender-egalitarian Manhattan sangat, or congregation.

The diwan, or religious event, reflected the festival’s commemoration of the institution of the Khalsa. The prayers and Scriptural readings referred to the tradition of selfless service, of the oneness of God and the need to live courageously and justly. Over about three hours, the community sang excerpts of the sacred Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, as some came to the front to play instruments and share reflections. 

While much of New York’s Sikh population is concentrated in Queens, where there are larger and longer-established gurdwaras, or Sikh houses of worship, the Manhattan Sikh Association has aimed to establish itself as a place for those who live in or commute into the city for work. Such organizational events are open to Sikhs who are initiated into the Khalsa order as well as others, including people of other faiths. 

Across the globe, Vaisakhi celebrations included processions, devotional gatherings, martial arts performances, military parades, langar meals and public gatherings that brought together millions of Sikhs and non-Sikhs globally.

“For me, Vaisakhi is a celebration of life, of spring, of harvest, of community,” Manhattan attendee Manisha Berma told RNS. “I think one of the primary characteristics that defines the religion is the act of service, and the mentality that looks beyond the religion itself (to) its service to humanity.”

A screen projection of the kirtan chant shown in Punjabi, Punjabi transliteration and English makes communal singing more accessible, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Kyle Desrosiers-Levine)

Sehaj Singh, another attendee, said Vaisakhi marks both a spiritual and cultural milestone in the Sikh faith. The spring festival has long celebrated the seasonal crop harvest in Punjab, India. Adapted from existing harvest festivals, in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru, gave the holiday a new meaning for Sikhs when he instituted the Khalsa. Akin to an initiated rite or religious order from other traditions, the Khalsa created a specified rigorous path of discipline and commitment for Sikhs to follow in order to become what are known as “saint-soldiers.”

Jasvant Singh, a Seattle-based educator from the Basics of Sikhi YouTube channel, said the aim of establishing the Khalsa was to build up devotees and an institution where persecuted people can turn for help.

“We are here to serve everyone, regardless of who they are, where they come from, how much money they have — everyone gets fed,” he said, referring to the Sikh tradition of seva, or service, and the concept of langar, the daily Sikh communal meal prepared at gurdwaras across the world. He estimated that the free vegetarian meals feed at least 6 million people around the world daily, many of whom are non-Sikhs.

He said Sikhs’ longtime persecution by dominant religious and political groups in South Asia has only furthered the faith’s aspirations to both defend itself and stand with those in need from any religion. He said during World War II, when India and Pakistan were still part of the British Empire, Sikh soldiers for the British Army refused to torture prisoners of war, including captured Nazis. Jasvant Singh said the reasoning was, “We are not allowed to do that. We will feed them and give them shelter. They will be handled by the courts, they will decide. That’s not in our hands to do.” 

And when India and Pakistan were partitioned in 1947, forming a predominantly Hindu and predominantly Muslim state, respectively, many Sikhs in Punjab advocated for a third sovereign state for their community in the faith’s homeland. It was ultimately determined by Sikh spiritual authorities that it was better to join the Hindus to form India, Jasvant Singh said. However, the issue has been considered over decades as the Khalistan movement continues, which seeks to secede from India as a Sikh homeland.

The Sikh pairing of service and self-defense continues to shape Sikh identity today, especially in the diaspora. For example, the Sikh-run Khalsa Aid supports refugees and aids communities globally. At the same time, many Sikhs support the Second Amendment right to bear arms, with the theological caveat that violence should be a last resort.

Jasvant Singh points to Sikhs’ historical trauma as reinforcing their mission to continue to confront contemporary injustices and to serve the world’s poorest. “There is so much oppression going on even today that it is our responsibility to stand up for those, even if we don’t agree with them,” he said.