Sikhs Honor Rebirth, Renewal in Los Angeles on Their Holiday

April 8, 2007

Author: Eric Leach

Source: Los Angeles Daily News

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_5624628

More than 10,000 people celebrated the Sikh religious holiday of Baisakhi Sunday and denounced a series of hate crimes against the sect following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Sikhs shared food, music and art in the Los Angeles Convention Center and later paraded through the streets of downtown, singing prayers as they marched behind a dozen colorful floats.

"We are trying to draw all the religious communities together to communicate better," said Nirinjan Singh Khalsa, executive director of the California Sikh Council and a member of the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission.

He said Baisakhi is officially April 13, but it is sometimes celebrated on Easter Sunday in Los Angeles, when Sikhs from throughout Southern California and other parts of the country gather at the Convention Center.