How Sivasagar's only Gurudwara became a shelter for Assam's flood-hit

Across Sivasagar, the same answer kept coming up when people were asked where flood-affected families were getting food: the gurudwara.

For nearly three weeks, the kitchen at Sivasagar Gurudwara Sahib, near Station Chariali, has been running almost without a break. Around 500 people are currently staying in its halls, while another 1,000 to 1,500 people are being served meals there every day, three times a day.

The people running the kitchen are dealing with the floods themselves.

Ashok Sharma, 66, a sevadar at the gurudwara, says preparations began when the rain refused to stop. Rations were stocked, and volunteers alerted before the water rose.

“We knew there was an impending disaster when it rained continuously. Anticipating this, we immediately arranged our rations and alerted every sevak,” Sharma says. “With the help and blessings of the Almighty, we were ready to cater to the needs of everyone who needed help.”

Several sevadars have had their own homes affected by the floods. Sharma is one of them.

“We can understand everyone's pain because our own homes were also under water,” he says.

The gurudwara opened its doors as the flood situation worsened across Upper Assam. Sivasagar, along with neighbouring Charaideo and Jorhat, has been among the worst-affected areas this monsoon. Earlier in July, floodwaters left parts of Sivasagar district cut off, with residents in some areas reporting water inside their homes for days.

The wider flood crisis has now claimed at least 100 lives in Assam. Nearly 1.4 lakh people remained affected across seven districts as of August 10, according to reports citing the latest official figures.

The government is running its own network of relief camps and distribution points. But not everyone displaced by the floods is in one.

At the Sivasagar Gurudwara, people have found both a place to stay and a kitchen that keeps serving them.

The shelter and food are open to everyone, Sharma says, regardless of religion and regardless of whether they are Assamese or from outside the state.

“Anyone who is in need, we are here for them,” he says.

The gurudwara's management puts the number of people staying there at around 500 and the number being fed each day at between 1,000 and 1,500. These are internal estimates, not government figures. Gurudwara officials have also said they arranged generators, phone-charging points and fans for those staying there after floodwater disrupted electricity in parts of the district.

There is no fixed date for when the relief effort will stop.

“It is upon the Almighty's will; we will serve people until our last breath. There is no specific timeline,” Sharma says.

The response in Sivasagar has also drawn support from outside the gurudwara. Global Sikhs has been carrying out relief work across flood-hit Assam, distributing ration kits, mattresses, tarpaulins, bedding and toiletries. The organisation has also been running a langar at Sivasagar railway station, where families from submerged villages have taken shelter.

Actor Randeep Hooda joined the relief effort in early August, spending two days in Sivasagar and nearby Nimaijan, distributing supplies with Global Sikhs volunteers and serving food at the railway station langar. He also visited the Gurudwara Sahib. Global Sikhs' official account confirms that its Assam mission is focused on emergency food, drinking water, hygiene kits and essential household items.

Hooda has previously worked with Global Sikhs founder Amarpreet Singh on disaster-relief efforts, including during the Kerala floods and floods in Punjab.

For the people staying at the Sivasagar Gurudwara, however, the immediate concern remains much closer to home.

The kitchen continues to run in shifts. Meals continue to go out three times a day. Families continue to arrive and leave as the flood situation changes.

And the people serving them are still dealing with flooded homes of their own.

For now, the langar has no closing date.

ALSO READ: ‘If I come for you, 200 people will die’: The impossible choice Nepali Khuti's Shravan Prasad faced in Assam floods