Hull History Centre opened its doors on Saturday for a special celebration of the Sikh New Year - an event filled with community spirit, reflection, and a deep sense of heritage. At the heart of the day was a tribute to Sardar Sewa Singh Gola, one of Hull’s earliest Sikh settlers, whose quiet determination helped shape the city’s multicultural identity.

 

The event was led and organised by his son, Guljar Singh, who has been researching his father’s life and early Sikh presence in Hull. Sewa Singh arrived in the city in the 1970s, a time when awareness of Sikh identity was limited. His traditional appearance often made him a target of prejudice. Many Sikhs in the area felt pressured to remove their turbans to avoid discrimination.

 

Sewa continued to wear his turban with pride and remained committed to his faith. His resilience, shared by a small group of early Sikh settlers, helped lay the foundations for the thriving community Hull has today. More than 300 Sikhs now call the city home, a growth that owes much to the perseverance of people like Sewa Singh Gola.

 

Saturday’s event reflected the values Sewa lived by. A free kitchen - open to everyone, regardless of background - served warm meals at the event. Guljar emphasised that this tradition, known as langar, is central to Sikh teachings: equality, service, and treating all people with humanity.

 

Music was played, and visitors could view documents from the Hull History Centre and Sewa's family that shed light on the building of the city’s first Gurudwara and Sewa's life. These archives form part of Guljar’s ongoing work to preserve and share his father’s story.

 

Guljar is determined to ensure his father’s legacy continues to inspire. He is currently developing a documentary about Sewa’s life and the early Sikh community in Hull. Alongside this, he is working to establish a charity dedicated to supporting the local community - a continuation of the values his father embodied.

 

The Sikh New Year celebration was more than a cultural event; it was a moment to recognise the courage of those who came before and the Hull community that has grown because of them. Through food, music, history, and shared stories, the day honoured a man whose strength helped shape the multi-cultural Hull of today.