Volunteers from different parts of the country play a pivotal role in smooth conduction of the Jhanda fair in which lakhs of the devotees congregated. One of a volunteer Jasvinder Singh of Karala Village of Mohali in Punjab said that the blessing of Guru Maharaj and smooth coordination between the volunteers ensures the mammoth event passes off peacefully year after year.
The coordinator of the fair, V K Nautiyal said that the whole arrangements are overseen by a team of 100 volunteers. This team forms the core group which is backbone of all the arrangements. This core group is assisted by the thousands of the volunteers which manage things like stay, langars, medicines, security and crowd management.
The district administration has set up a special Mela Police station to smoothen things during the fair but volunteers definitely make the work of police force easy. Apart from these volunteers the Sangats which arrive from different places have their own group of volunteers which manage the chores among their sangats.
The sangats are also served by the local people and shopkeepers who offer food, tea and snacks to the devotees during the 15 day long fair. Ramesh Arora who owns a Sweet shop in Darshani Market area said that the shopkeepers of his lane have pooled in to offer tea and snacks service for the devotees. “This service gives us peace of mind and it is our way of offering our prayers to the Guru Maharaj,’’ he said.