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Good morning. One of the largest national strikes in history is taking place in India today, with people across the country showing their support for the protests against Indian agricultural reforms. The issues are complex, but put simply, farmers are worried about the impact the reforms will have on their livelihoods as well as on the minimum sale price for their crops. Hundreds of thousands of protestors from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana have travelled to Delhi, and the predominantly Sikh farmers have set up langar kitchens using their own produce to feed themselves and their fellow protestors. One aspect of the protests which has struck me is the focus on the spiritual needs. Makeshift gurdwaras or places of worship have been created, with gurbani or Sikh religious music reverberating across the protest sites, whilst protestors have formed human barriers around Muslim farmers during their daily prayers in a show of solidarity. This sense of communal togetherness has been reflected in the fact that underprivileged families local to the protest sites have also been fed by the langar kitchens. Punjab has long been described as the bread basket of India, and the Sikh faith’s connection with food and agriculture goes back to the very beginnings of the faith, with Guru Nanak himself working the fields at various points in his life. When it came to choosing a successor, Guru Nanak set a series of tests to see which of his disciples would be the most suitable for the role. He was weeding his paddy fields when one of his wealthy disciples arrived at his home in beautiful silk clothes, and the Guru asked the disciple to help with the weeding. Without questioning the Guru, the disciple carried the weeds on his head, and the mud dripped onto his finery, ruining his outfit. Several tests later, and the unquestioning loyalty of the disciple and his willingness to literally get his hands dirty eventually led to that disciple becoming Guru Angad Dev, the second Sikh Guru. Guru Angad is remembered in particular for institutionalising the concept of the langar kitchen within the Sikh faith, with gurdwaras across the world feeding millions of people each week. Spiritual sustenance is always accompanied by physical sustenance in the minds of Sikhs, and the preparation of langar is seen as a form of worship in itself. The outcome of the farmers protests is unknown, and negotiations between the Indian government and the unions representing the farmers’ interests remain ongoing. However, one thing that’s certain is, no matter what happens over the coming days and weeks, the loyalty and reverence that the farmers have for their land as well as their respective faiths, Sikh and non-Sikh alike, remains undiminished. After all, in the words of Guru Angad: “Air is the Guru, water is the father, and the earth is the great mother of all”.