EKTA is a local Sikh group, with the main aim of taking care of their elderly community. It was set up in 1996, but didn’t take off immediately. By February 2008 they had managed to put together a working group of committee members and volunteers. It is the first of its kind in Glasgow, bringing families out of their usual environment.

They now have 25 members who meet fortnightly on a Thursday at the church, with many activities for everyone including yoga and dance classes to keep members fit, table tennis and dominoes. Sometimes they get together and have informal dinners, and films are often shown. Chairman Gurdav Singh-Pall told us that they try to provide anything that members have requested, and they could do more with more funding.

The aim is to bring together Sikhs as Mr. Singh-Pall told how many isolate themselves within their families. He says they are happy just to go to work then go home, and this is completely new to them so they are therefore quite hesitant in coming forward.

There are now around 7,000 Sikhs living in Glasgow, worshipping at four Gurudwaras – Mr. Singh-Pall made a point of telling us that they are no longer called “Temples”, this is the old word – across the city. These are located in Nithsdale Road, St. Andrews Drive, Otago Street and Berkely Street.

Although the group is aiming to provide care for the elderly, it is a mix of all ages – which was well reflected on Saturday night’s turnout.

The day was Diwali – the Festival of Light, which is on the same day for both Sikhs and Hindus and began as a celebration of India. The church had a very light Christmas-time feel to it, with lots of candles and fairy lights hung around and lanterns pinned to the pillars.

The evening began with a speech from Mr. Singh-Pall (spoken in Punjabi so Martin and I sat back and enjoyed our juices for a moment or two). Next was dinner, we were invited to join and take as much as we liked! Brilliant. Then came loads of dancing, by which I was most impressed because of the outfits the ladies were wearing. Their saris were so beautiful, such lovely bright colours and sparkles.

A couple of local police officers also popped their heads in after being asked by Mr. Singh-Pall to come along and see the general gist of what they were doing there.

He ended by thanking everybody for coming along, particularly his volunteers of which there are ten. It really was a great evening, I’m glad I headed along – a bit of an alternative to my usual Saturday night!