On December 14, 2018, Kavi darbar in tribute to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, took place in the Sikh Gurdwara  located in Westborough, MA. Sarabjit Kaur Kapoor in collaboration with the NESSC management organized the Kavi darbar. The main purpose of this annual event is for “Kavi’s” or poets to come together and listen to and recite poetry in front of the sangat (audience). Guru Gobind Singh Ji, tenth Sikh Guru had a profound love for poetry. He was also a great poet.  In his 42 years of life, he revolutionized the lives of the people of his country. He created the Khalsa (Pure) and fought many battles against tyranny, and sacrificed his father, mother, and four sons. At the same time, Guru Ji contributed a great amount to the literature and wrote poetry in Brij, Punjabi, and Persian language. Guru Ji arranged a Kavi Darbar every month on a full moon night near Gurdwara Paonta Sahib, HP, India. These “gatherings of poets” helped to create an opportunity and  long lasting tradition for the poets in the time of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who banned poetry, songs, dance and other cultural activities. Many poets joined Guru ji’s kavi darbar and composed memorable poetry.

The evening began with the little kids of the congregation followed by some of the older kids and the adults, reciting poems by famous Punjabi poets(Babu Firoz Din Sharaf, Charan Singh Safri, Nand Lal Nurpuri, Jaswant Zafar etc.) about Guru Gobind Singh ji and his sons. Ambience of the event was melodic and somber as some of the poems were recited on the topic of the martyrdom of his younger and older sons. These poems along with many of the others gave the audience a feeling of elation when they heard about the sacrifices,  accomplishments and perseverance that took place in the history of Sikhi. Many of the older people in the audience were delighted and proud when listening to some of the younger kids reciting poems in their native language of Punjabi. Some poems even brought tears to the audience’s eyes. Overall, the participants all came together and made the evening calming and memorable.