The Punjabis are well known for their love of food, music, bhangra and their flamboyant way of life. The Punjabi community celebrates the important festivals of Baisakhi on 13th of April every year; similar to other Guru Parbs or holy festivals it is celebrated for three days. They also celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, their spiritual guru, in the month of November.

Vaishakhi Festival – The Punjabi community in Siliguri celebrates the festival in their own way unlike in Punjab where the celebrations are huge and thousands of people gather. It is celebrated to mark the harvest of the Rabi crop and celebrated with fun, frolic and gaiety within the Punjabi community. On the day of the Baisakhi one has to take bath in river, lakes and tanks and visit the Gurudwaras to sing kirtans (hymns); bright new clothes are worn by men and women on the occasion of the festival – and they are supposed to do daily chores in the Gurudwara as an act of humility towards their God. People come in large numbers in the Gurudwara at Siliguri, located in Sevoke Road, for prayers and kirtans on this occasion.

Guru Nanak’s Birthday – Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born in the month of kartik, which falls between the months of October and November. This festival is celebrated with much devotion by the followers of the Sikh religion. The Sikh people starts and early morning procession from the Gurudwara at Sevoke Road and circle around the city singing hymns and displaying orange flags printed with the insignia of the Sikh religion on this day. In Gurudwaras the holy book of the Sikh, Granth Sahib, is read continuously for three days without a break. Free langars are erected in the Gurudwara premises were large quantity of food is cooked and community lunches are distributed irrespective of caste, creed and religion. All these celebrations mark the life of a great seer, saint and mystic who has served as a beacon of light to the entire world.