The podcast featured the same guests from the December podcast, which focused on how different faiths recognised the winter festive period.
This month, Karen Rodrigues, chief sales officer in the specialist lending sector, Gurpreet Chahal, regional sales manager at Accord Mortgages, and Zainab Zailai, senior manager for mortgage product and proposition at Nottingham Building Society, returned to talk about the similarities and differences in how their respective faiths marked religious events during spring.
Similarities and differences
Rodrigues described the importance of Easter in Christianity, explaining that it begins on Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent. She noted it is “a holy day of obligation for Catholics” and involves going to church to receive ashes on the forehead from the priest, and Rodrigues explained that the ashes “are normally the palms from Palm Sunday from the previous year that are burnt”.
She explained that “during Lent, a lot of people will give something up, something that they enjoy, and it’s… their part of their abstinence”.
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Chahal described Vaisakhi as celebrating “the formalisation of the Sikh identity” and “a moment where the foundations of the faith… [were] solidified into a living and breathing community”.
He said in Nottingham, where he lives, “there’ll be a procession, which is called the Nagar Kirtan”, during which Sikhs walk between all the temples in the city.
He explained how community-centred this celebration is, saying: “That takes a lot of organisation effort, because you’ve got to work with the local authorities, the council.” Chahal noted that it took many hours of volunteering and that during the event, participants sing hymns, wear traditional attire and eat together.
Zailai noted that the convergence of Lent and Ramadan this year was “really beautiful, because it’s almost like a shared sense of solidarity between the two religions and a shared underlying concept in terms of what fasting truly means.”
She explained that, despite most people viewing Ramadan as refraining from eating and drinking, it is much more than that: “The way I like to see it is it’s almost like fasting from who you are, to allow yourself to morph into the best version of yourself. So that means fasting from the tongue, so being really, really mindful of… the way that you carry yourself, making sure that you’re not accidentally hurting someone’s feelings, trying to avoid white lies. It’s also fasting from your ego, which I think is super important during that month.”
Food as a uniting force
Continuing the theme of crossovers, the contributors identified how food and the sharing of meals are significant factors at this time of year.
Chahal explained: “Food… is a central part in terms of the Sikh religion. The word ‘langar’ means free food for everybody, so regardless of who you are. If you go into any Sikh temple… the doors are open, there will be food available there.”
He went on to describe how charities set up to support those experiencing homelessness “ramp up the operations” during Vaisakhi.
Much like the spirit of giving during Vaisakhi, Zailai described how, during Ramadan, “there’s a lot of focus during this month to reflect. So, reflect on your purpose. Reflect on how to get closer to your creator. Reflect on how to just be a better person.”
She also said there’s a huge emphasis on charity, adding: “We’re very much encouraged to think beyond ourselves and almost think about the wider community.”
Zailai continued: “We have this long-standing tradition where we’ll prepare food for at least 30-50 households, and we’ll have just one day where we’ve blocked out, and it’s like running a huge operation.”
Relating to the theme of crossover, both Rodrigues and Chahal discussed the similarities of the restrictions relating to food for Christianity and Sikhism, with Rodrigues outlining how there was “no meat on Fridays”, as well as abstaining from something during Lent, and Chahal noting that within the Sikh faith, all the food served at the langar is vegetarian.
Regarding the similarities in this respect, Rodrigues said: “It’s really interesting to sit and go, ‘well, that’s come from that religion, that’s come from that religion, and here we are all together with a lot of similarity’, which I think is great.”
The importance of curiosity
In their closing commentary, the guests reflected on what they wanted listeners to take away from the podcast.
Zailai said: “The biggest thing is just how broad the concept of Ramadan is – that it’s more than just refraining from food and drink. It’s more just like a factory reset, like a spiritual cleanse. So it’s almost like a reset in terms of emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally. And it’s just such a beautiful time, and as Muslims, we genuinely enjoy it. I think, for anyone who’s listening that has Muslim colleagues… just don’t stress when you’re in a work environment, if there’s tea, if there’s coffee, and if you’re worried about how we’re feeling. Rest assured, we’re not arriving at the office startled by the concept of lunchtime or emotionally destabilised by the presence of snacks.”
Chahal added that at this time of year, “we’re not just seeing a festival; we’re trying to… witness the living memory for the faith.”
He continued: “It’s a reminder that it’s a moment that shaped Sikh history, strengthened our identity and also… tries to inspire community-rooted courage in equality and service.”
He also marked the confluence of different celebrations at this time of year, noting: “It’s a great period for us to collectively… come together as communities and really learn about each other.”
Rodrigues highlighted the importance of being “very respectful of the different religions that are represented here and the ones that aren’t.” She went on to echo the sentiment of curiosity, encouraging listeners not to be afraid to ask a question.
Finally, Rodrigues emphasised the significance of the period: “It’s a time of reflection. And I think that’s across all the religions… it’s a time to actually sit there and go… ‘thank you’… because there’s an awful lot that was given for us to be here… in that regard, and an awful lot of sacrifice.”
Listen to the full podcast in the videos above [41:57], hosted by Andy Morris, head of commercial at AE3 Media, with guests Karen Rodrigues, chief sales officer in the specialist lending sector, Gurpreet Chahal, regional sales manager at Accord Mortgages, and Zainab Zailai, senior manager for mortgage product and proposition at Nottingham Building Society.
