The Sikh Student Association gave out free vegetarian Indian meals to over 1,500 students on the Engineering Quad Wednesday. The event aimed at raising awareness of the Sikh religion and to promote interfaith acceptance.

The SSA is a registered student organization that was recently reestablished on campus three years ago. Board members expected 500 to 800 people to attend, however by the end of the day the prediction was almost tripled and the tent stayed open an additional half an hour to serve the overflow of people.

“We are a volunteering organization and our main goal is to promote interfaith acceptance,” said Irwinpreet Bagri, president of SSA and senior in Business.

A Langar or “Free Kitchen,” a central aspect of Sikhism, is a traditional gathering where people come together to share in a communal meal.

This is the first University Langar held on a campus in the Midwest region. Members from the Chicago Sikh and Danville community helped in creating the Langar.

“All of the food was made by volunteers and without their time and effort this would not be possible,” said Amrita Bamrah, vice president of SSA and junior in LAS.

By 5:30 p.m. the volunteers ran out of food. Simran Sandhu, treasurer of SSA and junior in LAS, said that as a result of the success, more students on campus are more aware of the Sikh religion.

“The main purpose of the Langar is to show who we are, not who we are perceived to be and to spread awareness of discrimination and foster equality and acceptance,” she said.

Since 9/11, many in the Sikh community face discrimination and fall victim to hate crimes, Sandhu said. In wake of the Boston bombings, the SSA is aiming to prevent the same discrimination by raising awareness and hosting events similar to the Langar.

“There have been small scale hate crimes in Boston against Muslim women. Even though we’re different religions, there’s a solidarity between us because we face the same discrimination,” Sandhu said. “(There’s a) huge problem in the media, we are misrepresented and seen as terrorists just because we are different … we are good people.”

Amrutha Prasad, an attendant of the event and freshman in LAS, shared similar views.

“The discrimination Sikhs face has definitely gone up since 9/11. Also, this Langar increased awareness and let the community know who Sikhs are,” she said.

Amirah can be reached at [email protected].