Inaugural Sikh Parade Draws Thousands in Indianapolis
By Lori Way
The first Sikh parade ever held in the Indianapolis area took place on October 10th, 2015. Approximately 3,000-4,000 attended the celebration, which was based at Veteran’s Memorial Park and sponsored by the Sikh Society of Indiana. The goal of the event was to commemorate the anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib’s installation as the holy book and living guru of the religion. Local Indianapolis residents were also able to learn more about Sikh culture through gatka demonstrations, informational floats, and free langar served throughout the day. Sangats from across the Midwest participated in the parade in addition to the large turnout from the local Sikh community. Indiana Governor Mike Pence addressed the crowd and presented Indianapolis artist K.P. Singh with the “Sagamore of the Wabash” award (Indiana’s highest honor). There was also a canned food drive and bloodmobile accepting donations from those in attendance.
A video of Indiana’s parade is below:
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