On a grey, miserable Sunday afternoon, exhausted from what had been a chaotic and intense Week 1 as a final-year undergraduate student, I turned up to the Chaplaincy to attend what would recharge my batteries – a very wholesome and relaxed Samosa Social held by St Andrews Sikh Society.
As I walked into the Chaplaincy, I was immediately captured by the colourful decorations, the tuck shop of Indian snacks on sale and the tempting smell of homemade samosas. However, what more was seeing students, locals and staff from all different nationalities, ethnicities and walks of life, get together, laughing and chatting away. A community.
Founded just two years ago, the Sikh Society promotes the learning of Sikhi values and connects students through their many wonderful and popular events. Some of their previous, most notable ones have been their movie nights, Diwali events and of course not forgetting their famous, on-campus Langar – an open community meal of vegetarian, free Indian food for everyone.
Credit: Parie Desai.
Having been away on my year abroad this past year, I had missed out on all of these fantastic events over the year, but walking into the Chaplaincy on this day made it feel as though I had never left, as I was once again reminded of just how inclusive and welcoming the society is.
Upon my arrival, I was greeted with smiles from the entire committee and served some tasty samosas by Vice President and Treasurer of the society, Amar, and served a very yummy salad by Khushi, Events Coordinator of the society (who I later found out had prepared all 150 of the samosas from scratch!). The food was so delicious that many “went back for seconds”, quoting final-year student, Olivia.
Credit: Parie Desai.
With a plate full of comforting Indian food that reminded me of my own heritage, I sat down to catch up with both new and familiar faces on how the first week of teaching had been. And it’s safe to say that it seemed as though there was a shared feeling of exhaustion amongst everyone in the room! Nevertheless, whilst chatting away and nibbling on the plentiful snacks on array–Kurkure crisps and Parle-G biscuits to name just a couple–I had the time to reflect on the wonderful diversity of the St Andrews student body and how lucky I am to learn about other cultures than just my own.
Sat down with the very friendly and bubbly Harnoor, President of the Sikh Society, with a cup of warm chai in my hand, it was evident how passionate and enthusiastic she was, not only about the event, but also with regards to the society as a whole.
Whilst speaking with her, what struck me the most was her description of the society’s goal to “spread our values with the community: service, selflessness and generosity.
“We want all our events to focus on the community and bringing people together – this is our main goal.”
Credit: Parie Desai.
So, as I left the Samosa Social and whilst sitting down to write this piece, I not only contemplated how much I enjoyed my afternoon, but I also thought more about the importance of community.
In the present day where there are often a lot of divides, it brings great joy to see groups such as the St Andrews Sikh Society, focus so much on nurturing the value of community.
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